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xChild poverty set to rise across UK except in Scotland
Date: 10th February 2025
Category:
Disability, Basic Health and Welfare, General measures of implementation
Child poverty is predicted to increase in most parts of the UK by 2029, with Scotland being the only exception, according to new research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF). It attributes Scotland’s relative success to more generous child benefits and plans to scrap the two-child benefit limit.
Under current economic projections, child poverty rates are expected to rise to 31.5% in England, 34.4% in Wales, and 26.2% in Northern Ireland. In contrast, Scotland’s rate is projected to drop to 21.8%, making it 10 percentage points lower than England's. JRF has warned that relying solely on economic growth will not reduce child poverty and called for improvements to the benefits system to raise living standards for low-income families.
In an article by The Guardian, Shirley-Anne Somerville, Scotland’s social justice secretary, described the report as a wake-up call for the UK Government, urging it to abolish the two-child benefit limit and guarantee essential financial support.
A UK Government spokesperson responded by highlighting efforts to increase the living wage, uprate benefits, and adjust universal credit repayments to support 700,000 low-income families with children. They emphasised that a ministerial taskforce is working on measures to improve living standards across the UK.
The report comes as the UK and devolved governments prepare for their examination by the UN’s Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) set to take place on 13-14th February 2025. The Committee is expected to ask countries about their progress on tackling child poverty.