Child poverty predicted to rise in most of UK except Scotland
Child poverty is on course to increase in most of the UK by the end of this parliament, with only Scotland bucking the trend, according to analysis by a poverty charity,Although Labour’s election manifesto committed it to an “ambitious strategy” to reduce child poverty, only in Scotland will rates have fallen by 2029 under current economic projections, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) said,Scotland’s relative success – its child poverty rates are projected to be 10 percentage points lower than England’s by 2029 – is attributed by JRF to Holyrood’s more generous child benefits and its plans to scrap the two-child benefit limit,JRF argues that the government will fail to shift the dial on child poverty if it relies on rising economic growth alone to boost low-income family finances, and that it must drive up living standards through changes to the benefits system,“Any credible child poverty strategy must include policies that rebuild the tattered social security system,” said the JRF chief executive, Paul Kissack.
“The wellbeing of millions of children depends on that.And so do the government’s wider ambitions for improved living standards and opportunity.”The government is due to publish a 10-year poverty strategy in the summer.There is concern among campaigners that it may shy away on cost grounds from measures such as scrapping the two-child limit.It plans cuts to incapacity benefits, a policy that experts say is likely to drive up child poverty.
The JRF analysis, based on Office for Budget Responsibility growth forecasts, estimates that by 2029 relative child poverty rates will increase to 31.5% in England, 34.4% in Wales and 26.2% in Northern Ireland.In Scotland they are predicted to fall two percentage points to 21.
8%.Scottish welfare policy has significantly diverged from that of the rest of the UK in recent years, with the SNP government using devolved powers to mitigate Westminster austerity measures such as the bedroom tax while introducing its own benefits including a new carer support payment and the Scottish child payment.The Scottish child payment to low-income families, introduced by the Scottish National party in 2021, is seen by campaigners as a child poverty gamechanger.It is worth £26.70 a week and 330,000 young people are eligible.
The Scottish government took opponents by surprise when it unveiled plans to scrap the two-child benefit cap in its December draft budget.The UK Labour government has repeatedly resisted pressure to abolish the policy, which was brought in under the previous Conservative administration.Scrapping the two-child limit in Scotland by April 2026 will cost £155m in the first year and help 43,000 children, according to an independent assessment.Scottish Labour said it would back the budget if the Scottish government accelerated plans to scrap the cap.Scotland’s social justice secretary, Shirley-Anne Somerville, called the JRF report a wake-up call for the UK government.
“[It] shows them exactly what they need to do to support our efforts to end child poverty – including abolishing the two-child limit and delivering progress toward an essentials guarantee, which the Scottish government has repeatedly called on them to do,” she said.A UK government spokesperson said: “No child should be in poverty – that’s why our ministerial taskforce is exploring all levers available across government to give children across the United Kingdom the best start in life, while our plan for change will raise living standards across the country.“As we fix the foundations of the economy, we’re increasing the living wage, uprating benefits and supporting 700,000 of the poorest families with children by introducing a fair repayment rate on universal credit deductions to help low-income families and make everyone better off.”
Jean Willson obituary
My friend Jean Willson, who has died aged 82, was an inspiration to many, especially those who, like her, campaigned and cared for people with learning disabilities.Jean’s younger daughter, Victoria, was born with profound physical and mental disabilities. Aged four, and often screaming for up to 12 hours a day, she was placed in a care home 120 miles away from the family home in Islington, north London. Jean, with other families, campaigned for local provision for Victoria and children with similar issues.After a four-year struggle, which was supported by the organisation Kith & Kids, Islington council opened a small home on an old hospital site and Victoria returned to the borough
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Prostate cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed in England, surpassing breast cancer for two consecutive years, according to analysis by a leading charity.In 2023 there were 55,033 prostate cancer diagnoses compared with 47,526 breast cancer diagnoses, according to the Prostate Cancer UK’s analysis of NHS England data.Prostate Cancer UK says the increase in diagnoses and awareness can be partly attributed to its awareness campaign launched with the NHS in 2022, which has led to 3 million men using its online risk checker tool.More than 14,000 men who should have been diagnosed with the disease and referred to treatment were not due to the pandemic, but by April 2024 this gap had been closed.NHS England’s Rapid Cancer Registration Dataset shows prostate, breast, bowel and lung cancer are the four most common in England, accounting for about 50% of all cases
New scheme offers diabetes-friendly twists on African-Caribbean meals
When Sandra Tomlinson’s husband, Kelvin, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, she set about figuring out how to cook healthier Caribbean meals without compromising on taste.Although she was offered education sessions on how to alter recipes to help him, she was concerned that serving them may lead to marital strife.The south Londoner says: “What they were asking me to feed my husband would bring divorce in the family.”But after their life changed overnight, something had to change. She set about finding help in creating healthier twists on traditional Jamaican dishes
Bill Cox obituary
My friend Bill Cox, who has died aged 83, was a youth worker and founder member of the Federation for Detached Youth Work. He worked for more than 50 years in the field, a commitment for which he was appointed MBE in 2014.“Detached” youth work supports young people in their own environments, such as on the street, in parks and in shopping centres. In 1974, after a period of volunteering and training, Bill became a detached youth worker with the Merseyside Youth Association (MYA).In the 1980s he was a senior field worker at the MYA and thereafter he took responsibility for training those working in the voluntary youth sector across the county
We need new hospitals now, not more delays | Letters
Hospital bosses are right to point out that “their decrepit buildings will not survive until the date they are now due to be replaced” (Work on some of Boris Johnson’s ‘40 new hospitals’ will not start until 2039, 20 January).Surgeons up and down the country tell us that too often they cannot take patients to operating theatres because of flooding, broken lifts and substandard equipment. The knock-on effect is terrible for patients, and for surgeons who are trying to do their best.Wes Streeting, the health secretary, says he is being honest about the new hospital programme (NHP) delivery, but there is genuine fear that some building programmes have been kicked into the long grass. Others have warned that if we don’t address our crumbling infrastructure, delays to the NHP will be a false economy
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