KATE OSBORNE: Heartbreaking poverty suffered by our children

Every child matters, so it is heartbreaking that one in three are judged to be living in poverty in this region.
A third of children in the UK are in poverty, says Kate.A third of children in the UK are in poverty, says Kate.
A third of children in the UK are in poverty, says Kate.

That's every third child in the North East growing up in a home where parents and carers are unable to afford meals, heating, clothes and shoes, hobbies, or school trips.

Recent research carried out by the respected think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) North shows that since 2013, child poverty has increased more sharply in the North East than elsewhere, with around one in three children forced into poverty due to low incomes and high cost of living.

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Nothing surprises me anymore when I think about the mess this government has made in their shambolic running of this country since 2010.

As the IPPR North report states, it is central Government that sets the rates of social security and taxation and it is also central Government who are responsible for many of the decisions that shape employment rates, conditions of employment, and costs such as housing and childcare.

We know that our communities have been, and continue, to be at the brunt of the Conservative government’s callous austerity regime and the UK’s deep regional divides.

The Tories have brought in failing welfare policies such as the shambolic roll out of Universal Credit, the two-child limit, unfair benefit sanctions and the dreaded work capability assessments, all of which have driven many families into poverty.

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However, we must not forget those families who work that are also in poverty. Low wages, zero hours contracts, precarious employment and poor opportunities for training and progression are all routes into poverty for many families combined with high living costs, such as housing.

Due to a mix of the above conditions, every night somewhere in our region, there are children who are going to bed hungry, which is the biggest indictment on this government.

As one of the richest economies in the world, families should not be left with no choice but to turn to a foodbank just to get them through the week.

It makes me angry when I see the good work of previous Labour governments lifting one million children out of poverty being undone.

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Now the Tories are taking us backwards – and the Coronavirus pandemic is only making matters worse by squeezing family finances even further.

Child poverty is a stark reality for so many children across our region and it shows that the Tories have failed to protect families from financial hardship, and properly invest in this area over the past decade.

We are currently left to face one of the greatest economic challenges in a generation and the government must design an ethical social security system that puts working people and families first as well as ban zero hour contracts and raise the living wage to an amount that people can afford to live on.

Austerity was, and is, a political choice, and wealth has fallen for the poorest while rising at the top.

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We need a strategy to deal with this and a commitment to end child poverty.

Something has to give. A political problem needs a political solution. We need an end to poverty and destitution.

That’s why I became an MP and what I continue to fight for every single day.