How Marcus Rashford’s free school meals campaign is a game-changer for child poverty – Helen Barnard

This was a masterclass in how to energise the public to persuade those in power to change course.

Anyone who read Rashford’s original letter setting out his case for this policy change will have admired his authentic, credible and reasonable tone.

He understood this was not about politics, but about people. He saw an injustice that chimed with his own personal experiences of growing up and channelled his passion to provide relief to many.

It is often stated that social change is slow in the making. In many cases this is true, but with the right messenger and with enough will, change can happen remarkably quickly.

Rashford has said it himself that extending free school meals must only be the start of a much bigger and co-ordinated effort to right the wrong of child poverty.

Back in March, the Government showed it has the ability to act swiftly and compassionately by offering a lifeline to families.

The Chancellor announced that they would temporarily increase the standard allowance of Universal Credit by £20 per week to support those who are newly unemployed and families already struggling to get by.

They were right to take decisive action because it is precisely those who faced the greatest risk of poverty prior to coronavirus who are being left exposed to the full force of the economic storm it unleashed.

Families with children – particularly single parents – disabled people, carers and people from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds are among those who are more likely to be struggling to stay afloat.

We know that even with the temporary £20 extra a week, families on Universal Credit are already cutting back on essentials, such as food.

For many the additional costs of living alongside Covid-19 when combined with rising unemployment has forced them into debt and left a large number unable to pay their rent or other household bills.

Social security has a key role to play in steadying the nation in the recovery and preventing rising unemployment causing a surge in poverty. We need Universal Credit to provide enough support now so that we are all able to seize new opportunities as they are created.

The Government has a big decision at the Autumn Budget on whether it intends to keep doing the right thing by making this temporary increase to Universal Credit permanent.

New research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows that if this lifeline is allowed to expire next April as planned, around 16 million people are at risk of seeing their social security support cut by £1,040 per year, and 700,000 are likely to be pulled into poverty.

At a time when households are grappling with additional challenges accessing childcare and transport, managing health risks, and when services like breakfast clubs and informal childcare arrangements are not available, many will be unable to cope if the uplift is reversed.

Such is the impact of the ongoing economic storm that without this support, half a million people are likely to be plunged into deep poverty.

To truly strengthen social security, we also must make sure that claimants of legacy benefits receive the same lifeline.

Currently, people claiming Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) and Income Support do not receive the extra £20 per week. Most of these claimants are sick or disabled people and carers.

It cannot be right that claimants of legacy benefits receive less support than those on Universal Credit. This is particularly true because many on legacy benefits are likely to have had their lives made even harder by the heightened health risks.

By offering the same lifeline to claimants of legacy benefits, we can boost the incomes of 1.5 million people, including 300,000 children.

If there is one lesson, we should learn from the Rashford campaign it is that decisions about people must be made with them. It is crucial to listen to people’s experiences and do all we can to target support in a way that tackles the relentless challenges they face.

The Government clearly recognised that social security needed strengthening if it was going to rise to the scale of the challenges we face as a country. The upcoming Autumn Budget will be a true test of whether they meant what they said about doing whatever it takes to support people on low incomes.

We cannot afford to whip this lifeline away at precisely the time when it is needed most. Now is the moment to help families stay afloat, not cut them adrift.

Helen Barnard is Acting Director of the York-based Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

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Thank you

James Mitchinson