Little Village responds to Joseph Rowntree report on rising energy costs and children in deep poverty

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation today released new figures showing that the energy price cap rise will have a more profound impact on poor families. The figures also show that 1.8 million children are growing up in very deep poverty.

Chief Executive of Little Village, Sophie Livingstone, MBE, said of the findings:

“Little Village has never been busier than since the pandemic hit in 2020. Sadly, this year looks set to be just as busy as things like the reduction in the Universal Credit uplift and rising energy costs hit the families we support.

“These shocking new figures from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation show just how hard this year will be for many of the families we support at Little Village. A large proportion of the families we work with are single parent families, who look set to face the largest increase in energy bills.

“It’s extremely troubling to hear about the number of children living in deep poverty. We see the very real impact of this each day, with families telling us they can’t afford to provide safe spaces for their babies to sleep, or to buy enough nappies or adequate clothing. It is absolutely heartbreaking. We support the JRF’s call to the Government to provide more support and systems for those who struggle to make ends meet each day.”