When voters head to the polling stations in Gorton and Denton this Thursday, they hold the future of over 6,000 local children in their hands.
These youngsters stand to benefit from the elimination of the despised two-child rule starting on April 1st. Certain low-income families could see an increase of nearly £70 per week due to this change.
Child poverty continues to impact close to half – 48% – of all children in the area. In Longsight, an alarming 73% of children are growing up in poverty.
With the upcoming child-friendly adjustments by the Labour government in April, these statistics are expected to see a significant decline, fostering hope and enabling children to thrive academically.
The government’s efforts in the fight against poverty are taking shape, with more breakfast clubs, free school meals, and additional Sure Start centers in the pipeline. These initiatives aim to lift children out of poverty, opening up new opportunities for them.
Recently, the Reform party expressed their intent to scrap the two-child rule as well. Despite their shadow chancellor, Robert Jenrick, previously supporting the abolition in the House of Commons, the party now plans to reinstate the rule, potentially plunging children back into poverty.
The claims by Reform proponents that the policy’s beneficiaries are lazy, unemployed parents are unfounded. Six out of ten children affected by this policy for nearly a decade have at least one working parent. Additionally, 30% of these children are either too young, ill, or disabled, hindering their parents’ ability to work.
With over 90% of children in striving families, the right-wing narrative of lazy parents is inaccurate and morally wrong.
In the upcoming by-election, voters face a decision: supporting Labour’s local candidate Angeliki Stogia to help children break free from poverty or reverting to the Tory era of hardship.