Catherine McKinnell, Chair of the House of Commons Petition Committee and Member of Parliament for Newcastle North today led a debate in Parliament calling on the Government to address child bed poverty.

The debate followed a petition created by a Deputy Head Teacher, Bex Wilson, who set up Leeds based charity Zarach after becoming aware of a pupil who didn’t have a bed at home.  The petition called on the Government to create a strategy to end bed poverty.

Catherine opened the debate highlighting that “bed poverty is a hidden truth for many households that simply cannot afford to provide their child a bed of their own” and outlining that “the cost of furniture has increased by 42% since 2010” which combined with the cost of living crisis is leading to increasing numbers of children going without a bed.

Highlighting the impact of child bed poverty, the Newcastle North MP added “at the most fundamental level, a bed is a safe space for a child. It offers a place of warmth, of independence and privacy, and of comfort…take their bed away, and a child is further exposed to the anguish and solitude that poverty can bring. Going without a comfortable space to rest also leaves a child unable to sleep properly.”

Catherine argued that the issue of bed poverty is part of a wider and growing scandal of child poverty. Concluding the debate, Catherine stated “a bed of their own is the bare minimum we should expect for every child in this country – I cannot believe we are even having this debate today.

“But this is part of a wider, systemic problem. Under successive Conservative governments, we have seen the scandal of child poverty increasing in this country.

“More and more children are growing up in households without the very basics – whether that is food in their stomachs, heating in their homes, clothing on their backs, or, as this petition highlights, a bed.

“It should be a source of immense shame that we have children sleeping in a bath, on the floor, or sharing beds. As a society, we are failing our children and hampering their futures.

“And as the cost of living crisis continues to hit with households across the UK facing double digit inflation, this problem is only going to get worse.

“The Government can and must do so much more. It is not a mere bystander to this issue; it is our only hope of tackling it. With a laser focused and joined up strategy, the Government can lift children out of poverty. Only then can we have hope that all children have a safe space to lay their head at night.”