UK child poverty
1 in 3 children in the UK live in poverty. That’s outrageous. We need the government to keep the promise to end child poverty by 2020. But, as we approach the crucial halfway target of 2010, they’re off target.
Keep the Promise Gordon
Join us in Trafalgar Square on 4 October 2008 for the Keep the Promise event.
We need YOU to be part of the campaign. We’ve joined more than 100 charities, trade unions, faith groups and other organisations, building a mass movement to tell our government it must Keep the Promise as part of the Campaign to End Child Poverty.
Find out more about child poverty
- Read about our work in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
- See our poverty briefings and reports. We’ve got loads of research in our online library.
- Visit the End Child Poverty Coalition website, or the Family Welfare Association.
- Read more about poverty:
Child poverty in the UK
In the UK, 1.4 million children live in severe poverty. That means their families survive on an average of £7,000 a year after housing costs (for a couple with one child). With £7,000 a year a family has only £19 a day to cover fuel and other bills, food, clothes, washing, transport, activities for children and everything else.
What’s the government doing about UK poverty?Alistair Darling's first budget saw a recommitment to halving child poverty by 2010 and ending it by 2020. This is their promise. We want them to keep it.
Save the Children is calling on the government to give serious consideration to seasonal grants. These payments help impoverished families through the most expensive and difficult times of the year.
What can I do about UK poverty?
You can bring your friends and family for a great day out. Make a big noise about UK child poverty and tell the government they have to Keep the Promise. Join us in Trafalgar Square on 4 October.
Related news
- Tuesday 29 July 2008 Scottish school stands up against UK child poverty
- Gateside primary in Ayrshire took part in a workshop around child poverty. They were so outraged by the issue they demanded answers to their questions
- Wednesday 16 July 2008 One in four parents in poverty 'can't afford to work'
- More than one in four parents on low incomes have been unable to get or keep a job because they can't afford to pay for childcare, a new poll for Save the Children has revealed.
