Children in England ‘increasingly worried about impact of cost of living’
The children’s commissioner for England has called on the government to develop urgent plans to tackle child poverty, amid the cost of living crisis that is hitting the most vulnerable in society hardest.
Rachel de Souza said children were increasingly worried about the soaring price of basic essentials and the impact on their lives, telling MPs on the Commons education committee that urgent steps were required to tackle poverty ahead of a difficult autumn for families.
“My plea would be to ensure that we have children, and families with children, really strategised properly in government so that we have a proper plan. I suspect – and I’m no economist – but I suspect this is going to get worse into the autumn.”
Families across Britain are expected to face further pressure from rising energy bills this October, amid the worst squeeze on living standards since the 1950s, as Russia’s war in Ukraine and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic drive up inflation.
Asked by the Labour MP, Kim Johnson, about child poverty figures from the Institute for Fiscal Studies shared exclusively with the Guardian this week, De Souza said young people were growing increasingly concerned about the rising cost of living.
“[Last year] children were talking about that far more in relation to their parents. So what children talked about was mum’s job, dad’s job, not being able to buy things. And there was quite a profound strand on that,” she added.
“This time [in 2022] it’s far clearer. There is a real concern coming now from children themselves about cost of living. They’re hearing it, they’re talking about it.”
The former headteacher, appointed by the government to promote and protect the rights of children, said the change was showing up in surveys
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