New research by Save the Children today shows the government will fail to meet its target of halving child poverty by 2010.
Monday 8 October 2007
According to our report - Halfway House (PDF 144KB) - at the current rate of progress the government will not reach its target until 2024. Save the Children is calling for an extra £4 billion.
Jason Strelitz, Save the Children's child poverty adviser, said "an extra £1 billion should be made available in the forthcoming pre-budget report.
"This must be followed by a further £3 billion by March 2009 if there is to be any hope of achieving this goal," he added.
The Prime Minister re-affirmed his commitment to end child poverty by 2020 in last week's Labour Party conference speech.
"The government has done much to tackle child poverty in the UK," said Mr Strelitz. "We applaud this. But the harsh reality is that in the past year levels of child poverty in the UK have actually increased.
"The incomes of the poorest 10% have fallen by 2.2% in the past year. Parents are being forced to make impossible decisions between such basics as providing an adequate meal or putting on the heating.
"But we must not give up hope," he said. "It is entirely realistic for the UK government to meet its 2010 target. It is possible, if the Chancellor acts now."
As part of the £4 billion package, Save the Children is campaigning for the introduction of seasonal grants during summer and winter, when extra financial burdens are placed on the UK's poorest families.
Previous research by Save the Children revealed that 1.3 million children live in 'severe poverty'. For a couple with one child, this means living on less than £7,000 a year, or £19 a day, to cover electricity and gas, phones, other bills, food, clothes, washing, transport, and health needs.
Save the Children, is part of the End Child Poverty Campaign, a UK coalition that is calling on the government for £4 billion to ensure that the target of halving child poverty by 2010 is met.