Responding to the Autumn Statement, Mark Choonara, Chief Executive Officer at Daughters of Charity Services said:

“The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement contained a number of welcome announcements, but the absence of clear strategies to address the key issues of child poverty or the ongoing social care crisis leaves cause for concern. 

“The announcement of the unfreezing of housing benefit was a much needed, and widely welcomed intervention, necessary to help tackle the alarming rise in homelessness.

“The recent Joseph Rowntree Foundation Report on destitution in the UK highlighted how far we still have to go as a society to ensure that everybody is able to afford the basic essentials of life, most notably highlighting the enormous rise in children experiencing destitution. We are pleased the Chancellor has taken the long called for decision to increase Universal Credit in line with inflation, and committed to increase the National Living Wage to £11.44 an hour, but regret that a clear strategy for the prevention of child poverty appears lacking.

“The commitment of additional targeted resources to support those currently unable to work to find appropriate employment is to be welcomed. However, the threat of further sanctions on those who are unable to secure employment, most notably the threat to withdraw access to free prescriptions and legal aid, is a matter of significant concern.

“In addition, the absence of a focus on the desperately needed investment in social care to meet the growing demands of the sector reflects a missed opportunity, and an area which must be prioritised in next year’s Budget.”

Media contact
Riana Rae Brown
E: riana.brown@dcsvpservices.org
P: 079 2512 9049