Stephen met with End Child Poverty to discuss the rate of child food poverty in his constituency and hear from young people about their experiences.
End Child Poverty is a coalition of organisations, charities and local groups, campaigning together for a UK free of child poverty. Their recent publication of the latest estimates of child poverty after housing costs found that 20,173 children in East Ham are in poverty. As a whole the figures show the growing scale of child poverty across the UK, even before the pandemic hit.
Speaking after the event, Stephen said: “It is deeply troubling that 50% of children in East Ham are in poverty.
I applaud the tireless efforts of local faith groups, community organisations and charities to meet the needs of hungry families in the borough. They have been a lifeline for many throughout the pandemic.
However, if we are to live in a society where every child has the chance to succeed, we need to see greater commitment from the Government. Ministers must make their plans for ‘levelling up’ a reality by urgently introducing a credible plan to end child poverty.”