Do you think we should life the two child benefit cap?

[Marshmallow4545]

I believe that the majority of people think that the cap should remain and child poverty should be tackled in different ways.

Personally I would like to see children on FSMs allowed free access to after school extracurricular clubs and activities. I would also provide more poor families with access to food banks and would look to stock these with a range of healthy and nutritious options either through donation or state funding if required. I would also look to recruit volunteers to offer advice on health and diet in these places. I would provide clothing and school uniform banks with high quality, second hand clothing that kids would actually want to wear. I have some branded 'fashionable' stuff my kids have grown out of that's still in great condition that I would happily donate.

All of the above in my view is preferable to lifting the cap and would be more effective in tackling the impact that child poverty has on the child.

So AIBU that the two child cap should remain and we should look at other more direct ways to tackle child poverty?

I haven't RTFT but your ideas are crackers.

Labour was elected to reduce child poverty and PPs have quoted the IFS and CPAG who state that lifting the benefit cap is the quickest, easiest and most effective way to lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty.

Food banks barely existed under the last Labour government and are a direct result of suppressing wages and drastic cuts under austerity. Yet you are advocating that they should be more of them funded by the taxpayer to have more nutritious food.

There is a prevelant lie that you seem to have bought into, based on your experience rather than data and research, that money given to the poorest is spent on values and fags. Yet we know that money given to poorer families, particularly if the money goes directly to women, that it is spent on children's needs.

We also know that those in the lowest socioeconomic groups are more likely to spend their money than save, because they can buy more and better quality food and it's often still not enough to allow for savings as well.

This matters because that money goes into the economy. Supermarkets find people spending more means they have to hire more staff to manage the increase in demand. This creates the growth that the UK needs. Those staff, who may have been unemployed, then have money to spend and on it goes. It's called the multiplier effect.

The real culprits for child poverty are the Tories.with their austerity cuts and the private sector for paying poverty wages. Look elsewhere for your venom. It should not be pointed at children in poverty.

https://ifs.org.uk/articles/economic-consequences-uks-ageing-population

Crib sheet for those not recognising the fiscal disaster that is an ageing population with insufficient young people working to pay for it.

Pension funds can and do invest internationally! That is they buy equity in companies abroad, so they are not dependent on the population and/or workforce of the UK.

It wasn’t a trial. It was a thing called “section 12 payments”. Some councils tried to make it food vouchers. But it left out things like nappies etc, so was very quickly abandoned as it was taking choice away from the families who needed it.

If they’re not working how does it help?

Not read thread but we stopped at two DC as we couldn't afford more even with us both working full-time. I don't think the two children cap should be lifted.

Yet I get a pension.

Leave the cap in place. Working families stop having kids because they can't afford them but still have to pay taxes that are funding other people's kids

Sweet fuck all and Educational Maintenance Allowance.

You do realise this applies to working parents claiming UC?

A quick Google suggest that Section 12 payments are emergency welfare payments. Some authorities still provide food vouchers.

Either work to pay for them or don't have them! Even on minimum wage a full time job pays nearly 24k. Even if mum and dad are both on minimum wage that's certainly not living in poverty! It shouldn't be an option to be a "full time mummy" and expect the tax payer to fund it.

No £17 wouldn't reflect a meaningful increase in income ,however it isn't £17 because it isn't CHILD BENEFIT, it ,s the child element of universal credit which is significantly more.

Maybe Tory ones? We have another benefit in Scotland which will blow your mind. It’s called “The Scottish Child Payment” which has been universally recognised as one that is lifting children out of poverty. I’m proud that my Govt introduced it.

You are ignoring that a benefit cap still exists. Lifting the 2 child limit but retaining the benefit cap would ease some of the pressures on low income families with more than 2 children but still limit welfare entitlement. It will not be the case that you get endless amount of money.

You don't nessarily get all the child elements either in the final payment as it is often deducted when taking into account wages deductions.

Ok it will be limited to around £22k outside of a London and £25k in London. Still a hell of a lot of money

Can I just add that you’ve been on here all day ranting about people living in poverty. I had a two hour nap (the wonderful benefit of retirement) plus made a lovely dinner. The people working for minimum wage who have children don’t have those options. Unlike you, they are actually working 🤦‍♀️

Correct. It's £100 per month for those in receipt of UC.

I already know about that one. A family I follow on YouTube with 12 kids I think lives in Scotland. Put it this way, there is always a lot of talk in the comments section about how the family afford such a luxurious lifestyle when their views are blatantly too low to fund it all. Scottish Child Payment is often mentioned.

I'm talking £250 each child for Christmas presents. Lots of families where two parents work can't afford to spend that much.

The ones who don't work are affected by the benefit cap so the ones you are mainly talking about won't get endless benefits. The low income workers who claim will not be affected as working and earning a certain lifts the cap.

It’s a great thing imo Anne.

I can't be bothered with your goady rubbish. Enjoy your retirement and being economically inactive. I'm sorry but as someone that does actually own their own business and works long hours, I won't have my working hours dictated to me by someone that naps during weekdays.

We are spending enough on welfare as it is. Keep the cap and drop the pensions triple lock. Raise the FSM limit, it's ridiculously low right now. Put some money into schools.

I agree, although sorting the housing crisis would be more beneficial. I don't know how people on low incomes can afford the ridiculous rents being charged alongside the rising costs of everything else.