Lack of progress on child poverty deplorable

Commenting on the new annual figures for the number of children in poverty in the UK, covering the year 2007/08, the Head of Policy for Child Poverty Action Group, Dr Paul Dornan, said:

“The Government’s failure to make progress on child poverty for half a decade is deplorable.

“You don’t eradicate child poverty by doing nothing, but we’ve just had a ‘do nothing’ budget for the poorest children. It was right to give urgent support to jobseekers, but there was little in the budget to build a fairer Britain. The disgraceful decision to give the poorest families less than the cost of a pint of milk for each child to help them survive the recession was a kick in the teeth.

“Families are suffering now and need help now. A serious investment is urgently needed to support the poorest families. Even in the current economic situation it is affordable and one of the surest ways of boosting the economy.”

Notes for editors

• For the full child poverty statistics and trends from previous years, including how child poverty is defined and the positions of the three main parties, please use the following link to a CPAG briefing: http://www.cpag.org.uk/info/briefings_policy/CPAG_poverty_the_stats_1008.pdf
• In last month’s Budget, the Government increased the annual amount of the ‘per child’ element of the child tax credit by £20 per annum. This amounts to 38.4p per week for each child – less than the 45p it currently costs for a pint of milk in the UK’s leading supermarkets.
• Yesterday the influential Treasury Committee released a damning report on Budget 2009 in which the committee members said they were “dismayed” at the failure to invest sufficiently in progress on child poverty eradication. The Chair of the Committee, Labour MP John McFall, said: “Though spending in this area may not seem a priority amidst the sudden collapse of banks, in the long run it is the right thing to do. Nearly 4 million children in this country are still growing up in poverty. They are suffering now: they are likely to experience ill health, to underachieve in school and to be denied the opportunities that others are given. Indeed, child poverty and youth unemployment are linked. Now more than ever it is vital to support our young people. They will be the ones who will help us out of these difficult economic times; investment in their future is just as important as support for banks and businesses.” For more information and to see the full report, visit the Committee’s website: http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/treasury_committee.cfm
• CPAG believes that the wealthiest tax payers can afford to support the important national investment needed to meet government targets on child poverty through fairer taxation policies. This would be balanced by the general benefits of an economic stimulation for businesses in the poorest communities. Each pound spent on such an investment is predicted to boost the economy by £1.60 because the poorest families spend immediately in the real economy on the things their children need, thereby helping speed up economic recovery.
• Child Poverty Action Group’s manifesto, published in March 2009, can be found at: www.cpag.org.uk/manifesto
• CPAG is the leading charity campaigning for the abolition of child poverty in the UK and for a better deal for low-income families and children.
• CPAG is one of over 150 member organisations of the Campaign to End Child Poverty, campaigning for public and political commitment to ensure the goals of halving child poverty by 2010 and ending child poverty by 2020 are met.

For further information please contact:
Tim Nichols
CPAG Press Officer
Tel. 020 7812 5216 or 07816 909302
tnichols@cpag.org.uk