Sunday marks huge increase in UK poverty

Caritas Cornerstone volunteers prepare food parcels for hungry British families

The huge increase in poverty in Britain during the pandemic will be marked by Poverty Sunday on 21 February. A special online service has been organised for 6pm on Sunday by the ecumenical charity, Church Action on Poverty, which is based in Manchester.

In the UK, more than 14 million people are living in poverty - including 4.5 million children. New research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the baby bank charity Little Village found two in five of the families of the 1.3million children in poverty have seen earnings fall because of the pandemic. Many Christian charities have joined the call to make the £20 a week uplift to Universal Credit during the Covid-19 pandemic permanent. It seems a small figure, but it would be a significant boost to household incomes and address the child poverty crisis. Stripping families of £20-a-week in Universal Credit will plunge 420,000 children into poverty, researchers warn.

The Trussell Trust - which supports more than 1,200 foodbanks in the UK - has urged the government to continue to protect the millions of people who receive Universal Credit - and the many more who'll depend on it as the economic consequences of the pandemic play out. It says: "It's clear that the level of benefits was not adequate going into the pandemic, and that the uplift has been an important lifeline. People's experiences clearly show that keeping the Universal Credit uplift and extending this lifeline to legacy benefits is the right thing to do - and would help us take a big step towards a hunger free future."

Food poverty is such a serious problem in Britain that UNICEF, which provides humanitarian aid for children around the world, stepped in to help feed children in the UK for the first time ever in December. The UN agency did this after its own estimations suggested children were going hungry in a fifth of households.

Church Action on Poverty says: "the pandemic continues to highlight the inequalities that sweep too many people into poverty, but we have also been reminded of the values that matter most: mutuality, compassion and community." The service on 21 February will hear the voices of people who are struggling to make ends meet and pray for a society, "where all people are able to exercise dignity, agency and power." Director Niall Cooper says: "our task is to recognise and affirm the wisdom and insights of people struggling against poverty and to align ourselves with their struggles."

Register for the service free at:

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/new-wineskins-online-service-for-church-action-on-poverty-sunday-2021-tickets-136595066521