About 400,000 UK children supported by baby banks, charities say
newsJun 23, 20268240
About 400,000 UK children were supported by baby banks in 2025, an 11% increase on the previous year, charities say. Charities point to 4.5 million children living in poverty and blame low incomes plus rising energy, water, housing and essentials costs for driving demand. They warned they "cannot continue to absorb the impact of child poverty" and urged the government to step in with benefit, tax and cost-of-living measures to prevent further increases. The rise matters because it signals widening reliance on emergency aid in a wealthy economy, strains volunteer-run networks, and makes child poverty a likely focus for upcoming fiscal and social-policy decisions.
