Eradicating Poverty

How can we end child poverty?

‘Poverty’ is not a neutral term – it implies an unfair, unacceptable state about which something must be done. Nor is poverty ‘always with us’. It is higher in the UK than in comparable countries, which means we can be more effective in tackling it.
Poverty rates in the UK are driven by entrenched inequalities of income, wealth and power. Policy makers need to combat these inequalities in order to build a fairer and more sustainable future for the UK.

The child poverty pledge – reaching 2020

The Government has pledged to halve child poverty by 2010 and eradicate it by 2020. Although there has been some progress, policy is still off track and Budget 2010 did little to narrow the gap. We are widely expected to miss the 2010 mark by around 1 million children.
In the longer term more effort is needed to attain the 2020 goal and to help children thrive in childhood and in their later lives.

• Paid work is not a secure route out of poverty for many people, so improvements are needed in pay, access to childcare, and ensuring that parents can balance parenting and employment responsibilities. Bad and discriminating employers need to be tackled, and educational inequalities reduced to ensure that all children leave school well qualified to engage in the modern economy.
• Alongside ensuring that work works to tackle poverty, the state has a role in ensuring tax is fair and that we invest more in children through child benefit.  Tax credits and disability benefits need to be adequate and reach those who need them.
• Moves to improve family incomes and to narrow inequalities are crucial to break the damaging ‘chicken and egg’ cycle between educational inequality and poverty.

Child Poverty Action Group has suggested ten policy changes to help achieve this goal:

Ten steps from Ending Child Poverty: a manifesto for success

1. Protect jobs
2. Mend the safety net
3. Move away from means tests
4. Remove barriers to work
5. Stop in-work poverty
6. Put in place a child-first strategy for childcare
7. End the classroom divide
8. Provide fair public services for those who need them most
9. End poverty premiums in taxes and services
10. Ensure a decent home for every family