Our holiday hunger petition has powered past 500 signatures – and we need your help to keep our campaign rolling.
We spent all summer reporting on the national scandal and shining a light on the organisations and charities who have been working hard tackle it.
It will take a significant rethinking of our food system and a huge boost in investment to stop parents up and down the country from struggling to cover the cost of an extra meal per day when they miss out on free school meals during the holidays.
PETITION: Under Universal Credit, childcare costs are paid in arrears – forcing parents into the red or even out of work.
It's a major driver behind the holiday hunger crisis. Help us put a stop to it. https://t.co/LVkEEouOAt
— Big Issue (@BigIssue) September 10, 2019
We found that the arrears system plays a huge role in leaving parents on Universal Credit facing the dilemma of whether to work and pay for childcare costs upfront and wait for 85 per cent of them to be repaid later or whether to stay at home with the kids.
Going to work can leave families up to £800 out of pocket – and that’s the opposite of what the controversial Universal Credit system was supposed to achieve.