Bed poverty is a growing issue that we must get a grip of - Holly Lynch

I spoke to Calderdale Lighthouse, a volunteer-run charity in my constituency. Diane Barker and her co-founders, Donna and Emma, do incredible work supporting disadvantaged families.

As the cost of living continues to bite, the charity has received a stream of requests for bedding and beds for vulnerable families, in addition to the other support it provides.

In one instance, a health visitor for a mother and two young children found neither child had a bed and asked if Calderdale Lighthouse could provide some. In another case, Calderdale Lighthouse provided blankets, duvets and hot-water bottles to a family with no gas or electricity, sleeping in one room to preserve heat. On average, Calderdale Lighthouse receives a request for beds, cots or toddler beds more than twice a week. It has seen instances where victims of domestic violence go back to their abusive partners so their children are not cold and without beds.

There have been cases where families with young children with continence challenges have struggled to provide them with beds and bedding. Charities such as Calderdale Lighthouse provide a lifeline for so many people. Many of us cannot imagine sleeping in a proper bed being a luxury. But for too many children it is.

As well as creating unhealthy and dangerous conditions, bed poverty has a devastating long-term impact. The disruption of not having a bed permeates every aspect of a child’s life. How can we expect children to learn, grow and realise their potential if they arrive at school exhausted?

One of my constituents got in touch to explain this problem. They said: “I reside in a one-bedroom flat on the 15th floor. We are overcrowded, my son cannot develop his full potential in this tiny flat. He also needs his own bedroom as he has trouble sleeping, meaning he’s disrupting my daughter.” The link between child poverty and children’s outcomes is clear. Data from 2014 showed that fewer than a third of Calderdale pupils in my area who claim free school meals achieve five or more GCSEs at grade C or above, including English and maths, compared with nearly 60 per cent of all pupils. Unfortunately, bed poverty is symptomatic of a wider trend of growing poverty.

Under this Government, the proportion of children in poverty in my constituency has steadily grown. According to the House of Commons Library, 30 per cent of children in Halifax live in relative poverty. A further 25.8 per cent live in absolute poverty. I want every child to have the chance to fulfil their potential but the cost-of-living crisis on top of years of austerity has taken us back to an almost-Victorian era for some families.

The reality is that many children will go to bed in insufficient conditions tonight. We can clearly see the incredibly detrimental impact those conditions are having on children’s broader outcomes.

Holly Lynch is Labour MP for Halifax. This is an edited version of a speech given in a recent Westminster Hall debate.