Advocates for child poverty have accused the government of “abandoning” troubled families after announcing a cost-of-living package that included free theater tickets and supermarket discounts.
They spoke as Boris Johnson was preparing to meet on Thursday with some of the UK’s largest retailers to discuss the home help plan, which aims to help families facing rising bills. food and fuel after inflation reached a 40-year high of 9.4%.
The package includes a combination of new and pre-existing discounts on meals, mobile fares and theater tickets from companies such as Asda, Morrisons, Amazon and Vodafone.
“With the school holidays starting today and parliament marching into recess, the government has abandoned children and families to face a difficult summer with inadequate support,” said Alison Garnham, executive director of the Child Poverty Action Group.
“As families struggle to stay afloat, investing in long-term social security should be the top priority for the next prime minister. A decent standard of living for children should never depend on discounts in the future. detail “.
Currently, the government’s support scheme includes expanding Asda’s offer to allow children to buy a meal for £ 1 and reintroducing Sainsbury’s ‘Feed Your Family for Five Years’ campaign.
It will also allow children to watch a West End program for free in August, with an adult paying a fee, while telecommunications firm Vodafone is adding its £ 10 a month mobile social rate to the program.
Other initiatives include Amazon’s page linking to free music and TV, learning resources and valuable groceries, and Morrisons offering a free meal for kids in their cafes.
“We’re facing incredibly tough winds against the global economy and families across the country are feeling the pinch,” Johnson said. “Both the public and private sectors have a role to play here, which is why it’s great to see so many leading UK companies now coming together to offer new deals and discounts that will provide a much-needed break in the box.”
Attendees at Thursday’s meeting on Downing Street are likely to include representatives from Sainsbury’s, Vodafone, Amazon, Centrica and the CBI.
The campaign aims to offer more discounts during the back-to-school period in the fall, when energy bills are expected to rise to maximums, and during the Christmas shopping season.
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Imran Hussain, director of policies and campaigns for Action for Children, welcomed the company’s support for families in difficulty, but said the government needed to do more to address the cost-of-living crisis.
“This will help many families, but the scale of the problem needs urgent government action and recognition that families are so exposed today due to repeated cuts in the financial aid available to low-income people and those who they have children, ”Hussain said.
“The next prime minister must address the startling failure in providing specific support to children living in low-income families.”