End of two-child benefit cap will help Southport's "huge pockets of deprivation"

But charity boss warns of further need for reform to system as town battles major problem

Hello and welcome to the 92nd edition of The Southport Lead.

On Wednesday, the government announced the lifting of the two-child benefit limit after years of lobbying from charities who argued the policy had plunged hundreds of thousands of children into poverty.

There’s plenty to be said about the other changes in the budget but today’s edition if focusing specifically on this one - something which will affect the immediate and long-term prospects of the children affected. Even Keir Starmer sounded genuine when he spoke of his pride in transforming the lives of 450,000 needy children and that is not something we see very often.

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Southport briefing

🏥 Hospital Chaplain Rev Martin Abrams has been awarded an MBE for services to the community in Merseyside and West Lancashire. As well as dedicated service helping those at the hospital, Martin led the vigil held after the Southport attack last year. He received his honour from Princess Anne at Windsor Castle and described it as a “remarkable, unforgettable day). Describing the honour and subsequent supportive messages as an “incredibly humbling, proud and moving experience”, he added: “I always find recognition like this difficult as I think I am only doing my job.”

☕ A dementia cafe will open its doors for the first time on Wednesday. The much-needed ‘Forget Me Not Cafe’ will open at YMCA Southport on Hoghton Street from 10.30am-12.30pm, offering a warm space and friendship to those that suffer directly from the disease and their carers. The cafe will serve up drinks and cakes and has been converted to provide a homely, living room space with old memorabilia, music and activities. You can find out more here.

🚧 Work to transform the area around Southport Market has been delayed. The project was due to finish on Friday (November 28) but fencing remains in place and will do so until the final jobs are complete. Sefton Council blamed bad weather for preventing paving from setting as the cause of the delay. A spokesperson said: “It is a priority for the council and the contractor to complete the final bits of work and remove the fencing so that people can enjoy the completed space as soon as possible. The fencing will come down in a sequenced manner, and this is weather dependent. Snagging works are ongoing, and we will keep everyone updated.”

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Ending the two-child benefit cap is only will transform lives - but it’s only a start

Pic: Compassion Acts

By Jamie Lopez

The removal of the two-child benefit cap will directly lift people out of poverty but may not go far enough.

That’s according to a leader at a charity which provides food and wider support to thousands of families across Southport. Alison Read, advice and support manager at Compassion Acts, said the extent of poverty in Southport is largely unknown with “huge pockets of deprivation” in the town.

Having grown from a single food bank to having five across the whole of North Sefton, the charity now also offers a school uniform hub, welfare and benefits advice, a pantry offering discounted food, and a wraparound service offering warm spaces and social groups.

On Wednesday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the end of the two-child cap as part of her Autumn budget which also contained a host of changes to the tax system. While many believe it relates to child benefit, the cap actually means that parents cannot receive universal credit or tax credits for more than two children.

The limit was introduced under the Conservative government in 2017 and its removal has been widely named as the most direct way to lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty, with some 450,000 to be alleviated as a result.

Alison Garnham, chief executive of Child Poverty Action Group Alison Garnham, described the change as “transformational” for the children affected. She said: “This is a much-needed fresh start in our country’s efforts to eradicate child poverty and while there is more to do it gives us strong foundations to build on. Every child deserves the best start in life and with [this] decision government has done the right thing.”