Budget to lift about 3500 Birkenhead children out of poverty as investment flows to Birkenhead
Thousands of children in Birkenhead will be lifted out of poverty following the Budget announcement, as part of a package of measures targeting the cost of living, youth opportunity, and regional investment.
The removal of the two-child limit in Universal Credit will benefit an estimated 3,490 children in the constituency, contributing to a national target of reducing relative child poverty by 450,000 by the end of the decade. Families will see further support through the extension of free school meals eligibility to all pupils with a parent receiving Universal Credit.
Households across Birkenhead can also expect relief from cost of living pressures. Average energy bills are set to fall by £150 from April 2026, while NHS prescription charges will be frozen and nationally regulated rail fares will be held for the first time in 30 years.
For workers, pay rises are on the way, with the minimum wage for 18-20 year olds increasing from £10 to £10.85 per hour and the living wage from £12.21 to £12.71 per hour.
Young people facing barriers to employment will be supported through a new Youth Guarantee, offering every eligible young person who has been on Universal Credit for 18 months a guaranteed paid work placement. Seven new Youth Hubs are planned for the North West, providing support on mental health, housing, skills development and improved pathways for care leavers.
Investment is already reaching local schools, with three in the constituency funded for breakfast clubs and two for new school-based nurseries.
Local businesses stand to gain from permanently lower business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties, with around 4,090 eligible properties across the Wirral benefiting from the changes.
As part of the Liverpool City Region, Birkenhead will receive a share of £1.6 billion in transport funding, including £902 million through the new Local Growth Fund, £700 million for social and affordable housebuilding, and £25 million through the Creative Places Growth Fund to support creative businesses in the region.
Commenting on the Budget, Alison McGovern, Member of Parliament for Birkenhead, said:
”A guarantee for Birkenhead's young people of help to find work, training or a job is exactly what we need. This budget puts Birkenhead's people first - supporting small businesses to hire apprentices and making sure we have the NHS we need at St Cath’s, Arrowe Park and in all our GP surgeries.
And the Child Poverty Action group say that over 3,500 of Birkenhead's children will benefit from ending the 2-child limit - helping them escape poverty. That's a tribute to my predecessor Frank Field who did so much to help all our children".