'Baby bank was there for me when I needed it'

Theresa Kamuayi is grateful for Little Village's baby bank

Emily, aged 21 months, is reading books with her mother at a baby bank in south London.

Little Village runs the Tooting service, which provides families with clothing and other essentials. It also has sites in Camden and Wembley.

Emily is the third child of Theresa Kamuayi, who is currently not working due to mental health challenges. Theresa says the charity "was there for me, to help".

She is one of those affected by the two-child benefit cap, which prevents most families from claiming means-tested benefits for any third or additional children born after April 2017.

Ministers have hinted that the cap, which was was introduced by the previous Conservative government, could be lifted in November's Budget.

Emily's mother gets essentials from a baby bank run by Little Village

Last week, a survey by the charity found 81% of parents it currently helps felt they could not afford warm coats, boots or jumpers for their children due to increased financial pressures.

Ms Kamuayi told BBC Politics London: "I need a lot of stuff because of being a single mother of kids alone and I do it without dad in the picture.

"It did mean a lot for me because, after Covid, things went really bad and I went through a lot of mental health issues so it's been difficult for me to work; I've been on and off work."

Sophie Livingstone, chief executive of Little Village, says there is a "definite need" to lift the cap "but then we need to go a lot further".

She said: "My concern is that the government will think that their job is done.

"The priorities to support families would be looking at the rate of benefits, looking at solving housing issues, which obviously will take time, but we have to start somewhere, the cost of childcare as well, and making work pay.

"People shouldn't be needing to use a food bank or a baby bank, even though they're also in work."

A government spokesperson said: "Every child, no matter their background, deserves the best start in life.

"That's why our Child Poverty Taskforce will publish an ambitious strategy to tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty.

"We are investing £500m in children's development through the rollout of Best Start Family Hubs, extending free school meals and ensuring the poorest don't go hungry in the holidays through a new £1bn crisis support package."