Every child should have a bed to go to sleep in and that’s why we need a national sleep strategy - Catherine McKinnell

Families across the UK, do not have beds for their children to sleep in and it is having a devastating impact on these young lives.

Anyone can attest to the value of a good night’s sleep, but as any parent will know, children need regular sleep as part of their development. Going to school tired, falling asleep in a cold or uncomfortable space, will set back a young child both educationally and socially.

But even though we all know the value of sleep, hundreds of thousands of children are without beds. The sheer costs of a bed and the space required to store them are all part of ‘bed poverty’.

We know that there are 3.9 million children living in poverty, but few are aware that there are almost half a million under-18s without even a bed. But that’s changing due to the work in Leeds of deputy head teacher, Bex Wilson, her charity Zarach and thousands of people across Yorkshire who support her work.

Bex is bringing the issue of bed poverty to the public’s attention and on Monday, the House of Commons will discuss the matter. Bex was struck by an incident in 2017 with an 11-year-old pupil.

The boy was not his normal and happy self and Bex became concerned. He revealed to her that the reason he was tired was because he and his siblings did not own a bed.

Speaking with the pupil’s mother, Bex discovered the family had experienced a crisis and had been moved to an unfurnished home. All three of her children were sleeping on a cold tiled floor, resting their heads on an old sofa cushion – infested by bed bugs.

Bex knew that it was almost impossible to teach a child when that was his situation—of course he wasn’t going to be able to concentrate on past tense irregular verbs. She knew there was a solution. To provide beds for the children.

Calling in a favour with a family friend who had a bed factory and her dad who had a van, Bex got them beds. Weeks later, the mum gave Bex money and asked her to pass the cash to any family in similar need.

Speaking with other charities in the area, Bex discovered there were more than 5,000 children without beds in Leeds. She knew something had to be done. Her charity, Zarach, provided 67 beds in a week to local families.

The Covid-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, and ongoing housing shortages have entrenched child poverty.

After appearing on BBC Breakfast to raise awareness of the work of Zarach in Yorkshire, thousands of teachers, parents, and social workers emailed saying how much a similar service in their area was needed.

And that’s why Bex started a petition calling for a national sleep strategy. A plan from the Government that doesn’t just focus on poverty in the abstract but looks at the need for children to sleep specifically. It would force the Government to resource local authorities to identify, address and ultimately end bed poverty. Thousands of people in Yorkshire signed the petition on the UK Parliament Petitions website.

As chair of the Petitions Committee, I will be leading the debate, putting forward the voices of all those who signed the petition and putting their asks directly to Ministers.

Bed poverty is an issue that many people will not have heard of, but the power of Bex’s petition and her campaigning means it will now be discussed by MPs from different political parties in a debate on Monday afternoon.

I have met with Bex, charities who work on child, furniture and sleep poverty and some of the mothers Bex has supported to better understand both the work of Zarach and the aims of a national sleep strategy.

It’s not an idea without controversy. While the Government has said it recognises how vital sleep is to ensuring children and young people have the energy they need to perform at their best, they talk about tackling bed poverty in a holistic manner. That means lots of discussions about the work already going on to reduce poverty, but no specific solutions to tackle bed poverty.

For campaigners, that doesn’t go far enough. A mother leaving an abusive partner and taking their children to one of the two per cent of unfurnished social housing available from local authorities all at a moment’s notice won’t be helped immediately by the Government’s energy support package. They’ll be helped by a bed.

Without a specific focus from Government, local councils, and other stakeholders, there simply will not be sufficient efforts to address the root cause of bed poverty – which is kids without beds.

I’m clear: no child should go to sleep without a bed, hungry, or cold. In the UK in 2022, that is the bare minimum that we should expect for our children. It’s not a hard ask, the question I’ll be asking the Government on Monday is why the UK doesn’t have a good enough plan to achieve that yet.

Catherine McKinnell is the chair of the Parliament’s Petitions Committee.