Nursery World - Health & Nutrition: Counting the cost

As the squeeze on income tightens, Meredith Jones Russell looks at the health impacts

Before the pandemic, 4.3 million children were living in poverty in the UK. In 2020/21, this fell to 3.9 million, thanks in large part to a temporary £20 a week uplift in Universal Credit payments. However, since the benefit was reduced again, recent analysis from the Resolution Foundation has projected that the number of children in poverty could rise by 500,000 by April next year.

Luke Bramhall, poverty proofing lead at Children North East, says, ‘More families are living in poverty. That’s the reality. We are now only going to see poverty rates increasing for the youngest children, within an early years sector that’s already on its knees from underfunding.’

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included