Calls to act on child poverty as leaders gather for South Yorkshire summit
Child poverty in Yorkshire is holding back the life chances of young people in the region, experts warn, as new polling outlines the social and economic toll of failing to act.
Politicians, experts, academics and charity leaders are to gather today for the first South Yorkshire summit of its kind to examine the issue.
Now, as polling from Save the Children UK suggests three-quarters of Yorkshire respondents feel the region is held back as a result of child poverty, there are calls for a credible strategy.
Dan Paskins is executive director of policy and campaigns at Save the Children UK. In an average class size of 30 children, nine will be growing up in poverty, he outlined.
"We don't need to have this level of child poverty," said Mr Paskins. "It's a choice which is harming children, harming families, and holding back our overall prosperity for society. We know the right start in life affects the years to come.”
Today's summit, A Place of Hope, is supported by Save the Children and spearheaded by campaigners in Sheffield.
It will hear from international experts on child inequalities Prof Sir Michael Marmot and the Waterstones Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce, chief executive of the Child Poverty Action Group, Alison Garnham, as well as Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard.
The aim, say campaigners, is to develop a series of solutions that key decision makers and politicians can adopt to tackle the issue.
Surveys from the charity, carried out by Opinium, found that 74 per cent of 300 respondents in Yorkshire felt child poverty rates were impacting the region's economic well-being.
The findings raise fresh concerns about the impact of hardship on local communities. Half cited low wages, high energy bills, and a lack of affordable housing as the biggest drivers.
More than half backed free school meals as the most effective solution, alongside benefits assistance, as campaigners called on policymakers to take urgent action.
Save the Children UK has called for increased investment in social support systems and initiatives to help struggling families.
Mr Paskins said ministers must draw up a "credible" strategy, abolishing the two-child limit to benefits which could lift 360,000 children out of poverty overnight.
"We are talking about children not having enough to eat,” he warned. "Even an invitation to a birthday party can be a big stress for families that are struggling."
Today's summit, bringing together groups in South Yorkshire as well as families affected, is the first of its kind for the region. The event is backed by Westfield Health, Sheffield Pride of Place Board, part of Business in the Community, and Sheffield Hallam University.
A DWP spokesperson said: “No child should be in poverty – that’s why our Ministerial Taskforce is exploring all available levers across government to give every child in Yorkshire and across the whole of the United Kingdom the best start in life.
"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 households and make everyone better off.”