JULIA Unwin, chief executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), has said the Government had failed to deliver an anti-poverty Budget that would boost living standards and ease the strain on poor families.

She said: “The early increase in the income tax personal allowance is a fillip for those who are able to benefit from it, but this is not an efficient way of targeting help on households in poverty.

“Recognising the burden of childcare costs is a start, but the extra help in the new tax-free childcare policy barely benefits those on the low incomes, nor makes up for the shortfall from previous cuts to childcare tax credits.

“Knowing support is coming in three years’ time provides little comfort for those who are struggling to make it through to the end of the week. With cuts to benefits and tax rises around the corner, the struggle for millions of poor families shows no sign of relenting.”