A damning new report from the Children’s Commissioner for England has revealed that millions of children across the UK are living in conditions described as “almost-Dickensian,” with many going without basic needs such as heating, food, and safe housing.
The report includes harrowing testimonies from children who spoke of living in homes with black mould, rats in the kitchen, and food packages that arrived mouldy or out of date. One 15-year-old boy said: “Every time I got [food packages] the food was always out of date and mouldy… I know I’m poor but I’m not going to eat mouldy food”.
The latest official figures show that 4.45 million children were living in poverty in the UK as of March 2024—the highest number on record. In some constituencies, more than half of all children are growing up in poverty, with Birmingham Ladywood topping the list at 62% overall.
Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner, said:
“Children don’t talk about poverty as an abstract concept. They talk about not having a bed big enough to stretch out in, not having heating, or being ashamed to invite friends over. It’s society and decision-makers who should be ashamed—not the children.”
The report calls for urgent reforms, including:
- Scrapping the two-child benefit limit, which campaigners say pulls 109 children into poverty every day.
- Introducing a ‘triple-lock’ on child-related benefits, similar to pensions, to ensure annual increases.
- Free bus travel for all school-age children and auto-enrolment for free school meals.
- Priority housing for families with children in poverty.
The government is expected to publish a new child poverty strategy this autumn. However, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has warned that recent U-turns on welfare reform have made spending decisions “harder,” raising concerns that the two-child limit may remain in place.
Campaigners say the time for delay is over. “Children are not statistics,” said Dame Rachel. “They are living, breathing people who deserve dignity, safety, and opportunity.”