'Children are stealing and starving' as parents struggle over Christmas time
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A charity leader warns kids are "stealing" and "starving" as child poverty worsens over Christmas period, with an ex-teacher moved to tears after spending "half of their wages" on feeding primary school aged kids. There are 4.3million children living in poverty in the UK. School closures for the Christmas holidays brings concerns of kids going hungry, as a shocking 2.7m children experienced food insecurity in June this year, reports Arla. Campaigners fear this may get worse over the Christmas period as schools shut.
There was also a 36% rise in energy demand to stay warm in winter compared to summer, according to the Department of Energy and Climate Change, which may also put a strain on parents' pockets in the Christmas season. Child Poverty Action Group’s (CPAG) CEO Alison Garnham said: "Christmas can be especially tough for families in poverty with no school meals to fall back on and no money for extras or children’s treats. But year-round, nine children in every class of 30 are experiencing poverty and things need to change urgently.
"The government can turn things round for children if it’s prepared to be bold. Scrapping the two-child limit on benefits and extending free school meals eligibility should be its first action points.". Child poverty levels have increased since the 2010 Labour government, with 730,000 more children living in poor households. The government is under pressure to ditch the two-child benefit cap, which prevents people from claiming Child Tax Credits or Universal Credit for more than two children, and to extend availability of free school meals.
