Mayoral candidates commit to child poverty target
With 650,000 children in London living in poverty, the three leading candidates for Mayor of London have pledged that tackling child poverty will be a key priority should they be elected.
Friday 25 April 2008
Despite the government setting a national target to halve child poverty by 2010, four in ten children in London still live below the poverty line.
Phillipa Hunt, Save the Children's UK poverty spokesperson says: "The mayoral candidates have shown that fighting child poverty is at the forefront of the political agenda.
"It is a scandal that in a city as rich as London, four in ten children live in poverty.
"The government must keep its promise to halve child poverty by 2010. Whoever is elected Mayor must increase the pressure on the government to make sure this promise is kept."
Responding to questions from Save the Children, Boris Johnson said, "In a city so full of wealth and resources, it is unacceptable that anyone, let alone children should live in poverty. I am absolutely committed to the government target, but we are not doing as well as we should be in London... Tackling child poverty appears across the board in my policies for London as it must be a priority."
Ken Livingstone said, "Child poverty is higher than in any other region of the UK with far more children in the lowest ten per cent of incomes... We will continue to lead action on improving and reducing the costs of childcare, improving skills and tackling worklessness and combating low pay and discrimination."
Brian Paddick said, "A number of factors conspire to mean that Londoners face particularly high levels of child poverty... the impacts are particularly acute for low-income, lone parent, ethnic minority and disabled groups... so there is not one solution; we need a comprehensive, holistic approach to tackle a very complex problem."
Full responses to the Save the Children questions were as follows:
Are you committed to the Government's target of halving child poverty by 2010 and ending it by 2020?
Boris Johnson: London is a fantastic city, but sadly it doesn't offer the quality of life it should for many families. London has highest rate of child poverty in the UK. The city has some of the most deprived boroughs in the country. In a city so full of wealth and resources, it is unacceptable that anyone, let alone children should live in poverty.
I am absolutely committed to the Government target, but we are not doing as well as we should be in London.
Brian Paddick: Yes, although I am dismayed that a government which set such an ambitious target has not done enough to reform our tax and benefit system to provide a sustainable income to those parents who cannot work, such as the long-term sick or disabled, but still motivate those who can work to move from welfare support into permanent employment.
Higher living costs, particularly for childcare, housing and transport, coupled with low wages mean that even if the government's policies on child poverty were sufficient, they would have less of an impact in London, which means London's Mayor has a key role to play.
It is therefore extremely disappointing that despite making tackling child poverty in London one of his highest priorities, Ken Livingstone's efforts have led to no significant improvement since he took office, so that the latest figures show child poverty at exactly the same levels as 2000.
London has the highest poverty rates of any region in the UK, with four in ten children living below the poverty line. What do you think are the main reasons for this?
Boris Johnson: I think that children are growing up with a poverty of aspiration. 53% of kids in London don't get 5 GCSEs. Weapon enabled crime is on the increase. Too many young people are stuck in a cycle of poverty. If we don't illustrate to children how important education is and how much they can gain from getting a foundation level of literacy and numeracy, we will lose the bigger battle against poverty.
The other problem is the lack of decent, low cost housing. There are 62,000 families in temporary accommodation and overcrowding in London running twice national average. That's why I am committed to building 50,000 new affordable homes by 2011. The building of new houses must tie in with the protection of green spaces where children can play in safety.
Brian Paddick: It is a truly shocking indictment of 'Red Ken's' eight years in office, all under a so-called Labour government.
The key reasons are the skills gap and the lack of affordable housing suitable for families. Despite huge civil engineering projects - eg the Olympic site and Crossrail - many workers in east London just don't have the necessary skills to get hired.
We need youth apprentice schemes and skills programmes for older people.
I'd refurbish the 83,000 empty homes in London and let them as affordable homes.
Where on your list of priorities is tackling child poverty in London?
Please rank the following policy areas from one to five with one being the highest priority; child poverty, transport, housing, crime, community cohesion.
Boris Johnson:
1. Crime
2. Child poverty
3. Housing
4. Community cohesion
5. Transport
In reality, all these issues are inter-connected and you cannot solve the problem of child poverty without valid policies in each area. I want to tackle crime as my foremost priority because London's greatness is jeopardised by the loss of young people to gangs.
Brian Paddick:
1. Crime
2. Transport
3. Housing
4. Child poverty
5. Community cohesion
Why does tackling child poverty not feature on your list of policy priorities?
Boris Johnson: That's not the case.
The health section addresses improving the quality of life of children; our skills manifesto talks about improving education opportunities; and the crime manifesto talks about securing funding for youth groups.
Tackling child poverty appears across the board in my policies for London as it must be a priority.
Brian Paddick: Two out of five bullet points in the preamble to my 'Contract with London' policy document offer serious solutions to child poverty:
- We need a fairer London, where good skills' training closes the poverty gap and where all Londoners have worthwhile opportunities
- We need far more affordable rented housing, especially for larger families.
The third calls for 'hugely improved leisure and training facilities for young people' which would certainly improve the quality of life for young Londoners living in poverty.
What do you think the number one policy priority is for tackling child poverty in London?
Boris Johnson: I want to support schemes that encourage young people to reach their full potential.
I will ring fence money from the London Development Agency to support local community groups and encourage competitive sports and the Mayor's Fund that I will introduce will harness London's wealth and resources and distribute them to a wide range of voluntary sector projects, from academic mentoring, developing skills, competitive sport, music and drama.
Brian Paddick: A number of factors conspire to mean that Londoners face particularly high levels of child poverty, in comparison to the rest of the country and other European cities. The impacts are particularly acute for low-income, lone parent, ethnic minority and disabled groups.
Childcare costs in London are high and arrangements are rarely flexible enough to allow parents to maintain a job, even on a part-time basis. The chances of finding a job are even lower for parents in ethnic minority and refugee groups, due in part to their lack of English skills.
The very high cost of accommodation in London, especially temporary housing, is yet another financial burden faced by families with children. So there is not one solution; we need a comprehensive, holistic approach to tackle a very complex problem.
I will also work with the boroughs to get families out of expensive temporary accommodation through increasing the delivery of affordable housing, especially family sized homes and homes adapted for wheelchair access, both through new-build and bringing London's thousands of empty homes back into use.
I will continue to support the London Living Wage to promote better wages for the lowest paid employees and ensure that it is reviewed annually to keep in line with rising costs in the capital.
I will monitor the two London City Strategy Pathfinder ESOL pilots with a view to adopting a pan-London, work-focused ESOL programmes for London parents on benefits or tax credits to enable them to gain skills which will help them to progress into work, as well as contribute more to their children's education.
I will support half price bus and tram fares for Londoners on Income Support, free travel for young people under 18 in full-time education on London buses and trams, and free travel for undergraduates on all services operated by TfL. One area where the LDA has been successful is with its Childcare Affordability Programme, which I will continue to support.
The London Child Poverty Commission's recent report, Capital Gains, made a number of recommendations for tackling child poverty. Which, if any, of the recommendations would you try and implement?
Boris Johnson: I agree with the report that there are too many agencies involved in employment and skills provision and would consolidate the Adult Skills agenda, give the London Skills and Education Board more control over the London Development Agency’s budget for adult skills and promote skills to Londoners through a single branded service for advice and guidance
We will also begin immediate discussions with the Government about the possibility of creating a single pool of public funding for skills in London by consolidating some of the various agencies' spending into a single budget under the direction of the LSEB.
This would make one body, directly accountable to Londoners through the Mayor, in charge of improving skills training in London - and ensure the maximum return on investment in skills by minimising bureaucracy.
I also agree wholeheartedly that basic literacy and numeracy is absolutely crucial for giving a child a decent start in life.
Brian Paddick: I will implement the London Child Poverty Commission's recommendations, where they fall within my area of authority, notably ensuring a closer integration of housing and employment services than Ken has achieved.
Where they do not, I will work with government and other stakeholders such Jobcentre Plus, NHS London, the London Development Centre and Care Services Improvement Partnership, and the boroughs to urgently take them forward.
Outside of the recommendation of the Child Poverty Commission, I think there is also scope from London to learn from other European cities tackling this problem and will support the work of groups such as European Cities Against Child Poverty to explore best practice policies and initiatives.
Do you believe London should have its own minimum wage? If so, what level do you think it should be?
Boris Johnson: Yes. It should be £7.20
Brian Paddick: I'd say the "living wage" should not be less than £7.50 per hour. The Mayor needs to lead a campaign to get as many London employers signed up as "Living Wage Employers" as possible.
Recent studies show that 20% of cleaners are on rock-bottom, national minimum wages of only £5.35/hour and over half do not receive sick pay.
The majority work unsociable hours on night-time and dawn shifts. That's why I've proposed half fares on Tube and bus before 7am to benefit these workers.
More information
- Read about our UK child poverty campaign
