Labour’s Budget Keeps the 2 Child Benefit Cap

Brighton & Hove Liberal Democrats are calling for the Two Child Limit on Benefit Payments to be scrapped. The cap was introduced by the Conservative Government in 2017 and it is being backed by the new Labour Government. It prevents families from claiming benefits for more than 2 children in their household.

Across the UK it is estimated to affect 1.5 million children. In Brighton & Hove, that’s 7% of all the children living in our area and in the Kemptown constituency it’s even higher at 10%.  Scrapping the child benefit limit would lift 250,000 UK children out of poverty overnight and reduce poverty for a further 850,000 children.

The Lib Dems opposed the cap from the start. Disgracefully, the new Labour Government will not scrap the Two Child Benefit Cap - they are no different to the Conservatives.  Labour have deserted their principles by keeping this heartless policy. But the Lib Dems are fighting to lift children out of poverty.

The estimated cash uplift for Brighton and Hove if we removed the 2-child benefit cap is near £4 million, which would be cash in the household pockets of the poorest families.  This would go some way to mitigate the sky-high cost of renting properties in the city.

As it is, families cannot afford to live here.  Our schools are emptying year on year, causing a funding crisis for education and forcing the closure by the Labour council of schools like St Bartholomew's and St Peter’s in Portslade. 

The latest Government statistics show that the average birth rate per woman has fallen to 1.44, the lowest on record.  This means that many women are choosing not to have children at all, or maybe limiting their family to just one child.  While not the only factor, the costs of bringing up a child, including the costs of childcare and housing, are putting people off having children altogether. 

Yet we need children.  We need to value them and nurture them in a safe and comfortable environment where they can learn and grow to fulfil their potential.  This is needed not just for the children and their families themselves, but for the whole of society.  An ageing population is dependent on the economic activity of younger working people and without sufficient children being born this is not sustainable. 

So let’s begin by scrapping the Two Child Benefit Cap and giving our children a better start in life and parents more confidence in raising their families.