Reducing child poverty in England, including scrapping the two-child benefit cap, would significantly boost child health and narrow general regional health inequalities, research has argued.
Whether or not to ditch the two-child benefit cap is proving an early political headache for the new Labour government.
Prime minister Keir Starmer has faced repeated demands from within Labour ranks and opposition leaders to abolish the policy, which was announced in 2015 by then chancellor George Osborne. It is estimated that, as a result, almost half of all children in some towns and cities now live below the breadline.
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A research team from the universities of Liverpool, Glasgow, and Newcastle has argued that renewing efforts to reduce child poverty in England between now and 2033, such as removing the two-child limit on child benefit, would substantially cut the number of infant deaths and children in care.
It would also cut rates of childhood nutritional anaemia and emergency admissions, with the most deprived regions, especially in the north east of England, set to benefit the most, the projections indicated.
It would likely have other beneficial knock-on effects on local authority and health services, including reducing admissions to hospital and A&E, and therefore, in turn, ease pressure on health services generally.
The paper, published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, has argued that reductions in child poverty would likely translate into significant savings for, and relieve pressure on, local authorities.
Benefits, it added, are likely to be greatest in the most disadvantaged areas, helping efforts to level up. Other health impacts that we have not been able to quantify are also likely.
The paper concludes: “We highlight that if policy-makers were to set and achieve child poverty targets for England for example, through suggested measures, such as removing the two-child limit and benefit cap this would likely improve child health, particularly among the most socioeconomically disadvantaged and level up regional inequalities.”
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