Policy Articles

Zöe Rucker

Four million children were living in relative poverty after housing costs in the UK in 2024/25. That is 27% of all children.
What does it mean for a child to be counted as living in poverty?

Zöe Rucker

From September 2026, new rules will limit how many branded uniform items a school in England can insist pupils have.
But what counts as branded? Does PE kit count? Can schools still make you use a particular supplier? And what help is available if you cannot afford the uniform?

Chloe Gardener

As the school year comes to an end and summer holidays are set to begin, parents across the nation who face financial insecurity will inevitably have school shopping for the next academic year at the back of their minds.

Zöe Rucker

This article examines who carries responsibility when clothing is treated as both essential and expendable.

Zöe Rucker

Understanding what EPR achieved for packaging helps explain why textiles lag and what is structurally missing.

Zӧe Rucker

This article sets out what is meant by absolute poverty in the UK, how it is defined in UK poverty studies as a cumulative process, and how it is most often described in parliamentary and official documents at the point of destitution.