Kirkcaldy Foodbank has welcomed the UK Government’s decision to scrap the two-child benefit cap.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in her Budget on Wednesday that the controversial cap limiting households on universal or child tax credit from receiving payments for a third or subsequent will go from April 2026.

The move follows lobbying from campaigners, including the government’s own Child Poverty Taskforce, which has been working with groups across the UK in recent months, including Kirkcaldy Foodbank.

Earlier this year, Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy MP Melanie Ward invited foodbank chair Angela Campbell along with her husband, fellow foodbank trustee Ian, to visit Westminster where they had the opportunity to outline the work being done locally.

Liz Kendall, Angela Campbell (centre) and Melanie Ward at Westminster (Pic: Submitted)

placeholder image — Liz Kendall, Angela Campbell (centre) and Melanie Ward at Westminster (Pic: Submitted)

Then Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Liz Kendall, and Alex Fitzpatrick, the senior civil servant overseeing the Child Poverty Taskforce, were particularly interested in the positive impact of having partners working alongside the foodbank and the support of Fife

Council in helping to alleviate poverty in the Kirkcaldy area.

Welcoming the chancellor’s announcement, Ms Ward thanked Kirkcaldy Foodbank for its input, and for helping to make the case for scrapping the benefit cap.

Angela said: “We are delighted that this decision has now been reached. A report produced by the End Child Poverty coalition showed that Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy ranked 17th of Scotland’s 57 UK parliamentary constituencies in terms of being

most affected by the poverty cap, with a total of 10% of all families affected. That’s a total of 557 households and 1,959 children affected.

“We know that we have fed 833 unique children so far in 2025, representing more than 20% of our client base. It’s an important achievement that the cap is being abolished.”

> Kirkcaldy Foodbank has set a target of raising £40,000 through its Christmas campaign to help bridge a “significant” financial deficit. The campaign is being backed by Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister and long-standing supporter of the organisation

You cann donate via bank transfer or by sending a cheque: Bank - Barclays, name of account - Kirkcaldy Foodbank, account number 03735796, sort code 20-00-77. Cheques can be sent to: The Treasurer, Kirkcaldy Foodbank, Park Road Centre, 2 Park Road, Kirkcaldy KY1 3 EL.