Breakfast clubs will 'transform' lives, but child benefit cap should be scrapped - South Shields MP

A North East MP has said the government's plans to triple funding for school breakfast clubs will "transform the lives" of children in the region - but that she is still pushing the government to scrap the two-child benefit cap.

Emma Lewell-Buck, MP for South Shields, told ITV Tyne Tees: "No matter how good or talented your teacher is, you're not going to learn if you're hungry and you're worried about where your next meal is coming from.

"This is absolutely going to transform the lives of so many children, especially in the North East."

The Labour MP has long campaigned to alleviate child poverty in the region, and has lobbied the government in recent months to scrap the two-child benefit cap.

The policy means that parents are only entitled to child benefit payments for two children, regardless of if they have more.

It had previously been the case that parents would receive child benefit for each child they had.

Ms Lewell-Buck told ITV Tyne Tees she would "keep pressing" to scrap the cap.

"I've had conversations with our secretaries of state, they know it's something I'm passionate about, they know it's something MPs are passionate about," she said.

"I'll be feeding back to the child poverty task force and hopefully when that strategy comes out next year, there'll be more being done to help the children in our region."

A total of £30 million has been committed to rolling out free breakfast clubs for children in thousands of primary schools across the country. The government say they hope it will help parents - particularly mothers - stay in and return to work.

Child poverty in the North East

30% of babies, children and young people live n relative poverty in the North East.

Recent analysis from the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) that found 10,000 children in the region to be living in poverty but cannot get free school meals due to "restrictive and outdated" eligibility criteria.

The Leader of Gateshead Council, Martin Gannon also told ITV Tyne Tees child poverty is "the single biggest issue we face'".

While most of the measures regarding child poverty in the Budget were welcomed by one of the leading child poverty charities in the region, they have warned that there is more work to do.

Chair of the North East Child Poverty Commission Beth Farhat said: "The Chancellor confirmed several welcome measures for families on low incomes across the North East. These include the increase in the statutory living wage, which is getting ever closer to a real living wage for all workers – as well as significant investment in free breakfast clubs.

"However, it’s disappointing that [the] Budget did not address why quite so many North East families – both in and out of work – end up with debt deductions or have to turn to the Household Support Fund in the first place: because what should be a safety net for us all provides a wholly inadequate level of support.

"All eyes are now on the desperately-needed national child poverty strategy the government will publish this spring.

"This must also adopt the Chancellor’s approach of ‘invest, invest, invest’, but for babies, children and young people – and, as its first priority, must end the two-child limit policy as one of the single biggest drivers of poverty for children across our region."

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