Salvation Army in North East in call to scrap two-child limit

The Salvation Army in the North East is one of 90 organisations calling upon the Government to end the two-child limit to help reduce the amount of children living in poverty. 

North East Divisional Leader Captain John Clifton was a signatory to a letter calling on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to scrap the two-child limit in Universal Credit ahead of the Autumn budget. 

The letter, co-ordinated by the North East Child Poverty Commission, was signed by Citizens Advice, food banks, churches and charities from across the region, as figures show that 31 per cent of children in the North East are living in poverty. 

The letter welcomes the Government’s ‘ambitious national child poverty strategy’ and the commitments made on expanding free school meals, free breakfast clubs in primary schools and the rollout of Best Start Family Hubs. 

However, it warns that without scrapping the two-child limit, the Government will not be able to achieve the aims set out in its Child Poverty Taskforce to reduce the number of children in relative poverty after housing costs, reduce the number of children going without essentials and to give all children the best start in life. 

The letter continues: “We believe there is no route to meaningfully achieving any of these critical aims – for children growing up in the North East, nor in the rest of the country – that doesn’t involve scrapping the two-child limit in Universal Credit as an immediate priority. 

“This cruel policy now affects around 70,000 babies, children and young people in low income families across the North East (both in and out of work); a figure that will continue to rise as more babies are born, and until – under current plans – the policy has been fully rolled out in another ten years’ time.” 

Salvation Army churches and community centres across the region are on the frontline providing food, clothing, activities and signposting support to families and children living in real poverty. 

Captain John Clifton said: “Every day our officers are coming across families who can’t afford to feed and clothe their children, a situation which no family should be finding themselves in in 2025. 

“It is children who suffer the most from the two-child benefit limit. Struggling families affected by it are turning to The Salvation Army to help them survive because Government support systems have failed them. 

“One of The Salvation Army’s key policy calls is for the end to the two-child limit so I was pleased to be able to join others in calling for the Chancellor to act before this year’s budget.”