About 3.1 million children of working parents now below breadline after government’s benefit cuts, according to TUC

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The number of children growing up in poverty in working households will be a million higher than in 2010, a new study has found.



Research for the TUC estimates that 3.1 million children with working parents will be below the official breadline this year.

About 600,000 children with working parents have been pushed into poverty because of the government’s benefit cuts and public sector pay restrictions, according to the report by the consultancy Landman Economics. The east Midlands will have the biggest increase in child poverty among working families, followed by the West Midlands and Northern Ireland, the research found.

Secret Teacher: I'm faced with the realities of child poverty every day Read more

Frances O’Grady, the TUC general secretary, said child poverty in working households had shot up since 2010. “Years of falling incomes and benefit cuts have had a terrible human cost. Millions of parents are struggling to feed and clothe their kids,” she said.

“The government is in denial about how many working families just can’t make ends meet. We need ministers to boost the minimum wage now, and use the social security system to make sure no child grows up in a family struggling to get by.”

The report was published as a march is planned in London this Saturday calling for a new deal for workers.

The report said a household was considered to be in relative poverty if its income was less than 60% of median income after housing costs.

A government spokeswoman said it did not recognise the TUC’s figures. She said: “The reality is there are now 1 million fewer people living in absolute poverty compared with 2010, including 300,000 fewer children.

“We want every child to get the very best chances in life. We know the best route out of poverty is through work, which is why it’s really encouraging that both the employment rate and household incomes have never been higher.”