Change must reach those hardest hit by cost of living pressures

In response to the Prime Minister's new Plan for Change, JRF Principal Policy Adviser Abby Jitendra said:

"The lowest income families have endured years of unyielding and overwhelming struggle which in turn affects their children’s life chances, and their health. The Prime Minister is right that targets shouldn't be there to make governments look good. But targets alone won’t solve the problem for families – government will need to focus attention on the drivers of hardship.

"Households in the bottom 40% of incomes face being around £450 worse off in 2029 than they are right now. And yet housing costs, a major part of this pressure, are not properly reflected in the government’s measure. This risks the spreadsheet showing one thing, but families feeling something very different.

"It’s absolutely right for government to focus on the early years and school readiness, where families face the highest risk of poverty because the burden of care falls most heavily on them. The government’s priority should be to transform the life chances of disadvantaged families first, making sure childcare and early education are good quality and affordable for them. We also need to make sure that Universal Credit allows families to afford the essentials and scrap the two-child limit.”