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Written question asked by Chris Bloore (Labour) on Tuesday, 9 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 11 June 2026. It was answered by Diana Johnson (Labour) on Friday, 19 June 2026 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Poverty: Children

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of levels of child poverty linked to the cost of living crisis in Redditch.

Answer

The Government is working to address cost-of-living pressures facing families across the country through targeted measures including raising the minimum wage for workers aged 21 and over, which increased by 4.1 per cent to £12.71 an hour.

The removal of the two-child limit introduced as part of the Child Poverty Strategy will lift 450,000 children out of poverty in the final year of this Parliament, rising to around 550,000 alongside other measures set out in the Strategy.

These interventions will lead to the largest expected reduction in child poverty over a Parliament since comparable records began. We have also confirmed over £600 million for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme for the next three financial years.

On 1 April 2026, we introduced a new Crisis and Resilience Fund in England. This fund aims to enable local authorities to provide preventative support to communities including support with food, as well as assisting people when faced with a financial crisis.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
8303
Session
2026-27
Transferred
Yes
Subjects
Poverty Children Cost of living Redditch
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk