The Greater Manchester mayor has previously supported scrapping the policy which was first introduced by the Conservatives
The Labour mayor has been urged to lobby his Labour colleagues to lift the Tory policy(Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)
Andy Burnham has been urged to use his ‘strong influence’ in Westminster to get two-child benefit cap lifted.
The Greater Manchester mayor has previously supported scrapping the policy which limits how much money families with more than two children can claim in benefits.
Charities in Greater Manchester are now urging the Labour mayor to lobby the government to lift it.
In an open letter to Mr Burnham, a ‘coalition’ of local Citizens Advice charities who support more than 100,000 people between them raised concerns about the two-child policy. It comes as data shows a third of children in the North West are living in relative poverty.
The research by the End Child Poverty Coalition reveals that 44 per cent of children in Oldham and 51 per cent of children in Rusholme are living in relative poverty with charities claiming that these shocking figures are ‘strongly correlated’ to the two-child benefit cap.
In the open letter, which was signed by the Citizens Advice centres in Stockport, Oldham, Rochdale and Trafford, the charities wrote: “As the Mayor for Greater Manchester, you have a strong influence with your Labour colleagues in Westminster.
“We are asking you to use this influence to urge the UK government to ensure these essential social security measures are included in the forthcoming strategy this year.
“Scrapping the two-child limit is by far the most cost-effective way to reduce child poverty. Nationally, it would lift 350,000 children out of poverty overnight and result in 700,000 children living in less deep poverty.”
The two-child benefit cap was introduced by the Conservative government, but Labour refused to abolish it after returning to power.
Soon after the general election last year, the government started work on a child poverty strategy which is expected to be published later this year. However, there are concerns that the new strategy – which has been delayed – will not involve lifting the two-child cap.
Unveiling her Spending Review on Wednesday (June 11), Rachel Reeves announced a number of measures which are aimed at tackling child poverty including extending Free School Meals to all children in families on Universal Credit and a new Crisis and Resilience Fund.
The commitment to extend Free School Meals is projected to lift 100,000 children out of poverty, according to the government.
Local charity Resolve Poverty has welcomed the measures, but has warns that the Chancellor must go further to fight child poverty.
Responding to the news, Resolve Poverty chief executive Graham Whitham said: “Today’s Spending Review provides some welcome relief for people experiencing poverty and local councils who are working in extremely difficult circumstances to support residents.
“The new Crisis and Resilience Fund is a welcome replacement for the Household Support Fund and we’ve been campaigning for a number of years for multi-year crisis funding for councils.
“While we await the detail and guidance, this is a positive direction of travel and an acknowledgement by the government that local councils need empowering in this area.
“The extension of Free School Meals provision is a major step forward by government, after years of inaction at a national level on anti-poverty policies.
“However, today is also a missed opportunity to couple this good news with an ambitious and far-reaching child poverty strategy and to announce a raft of measures, such as ending the two-child limit on benefits that make eradicating child poverty a realistic prospect.
“Resolve Poverty works locally to end poverty nationally by working with stakeholders on efforts to tackle financial hardship in communities up and down the country. A national child poverty strategy and greater investment in social security and local councils is desperately needed if the potential of localities on this agenda is to be realised.
“We know that central government has to create the conditions for everyone to play their part in a national mission to drive down poverty. The Spending Review has missed the mark.”
The Manchester Evening News understands that Mr Burnham is due to meet with the Citizen Advice charities next month.