The Government’s work on tackling one of Britain’s biggest social injustices began last week [Wednesday 14 August] as its Child Poverty Taskforce met for the first time.
Cabinet ministers across Government, including the Work & Pensions and Education Secretaries, attended the inaugural Child Poverty Taskforce meeting which aims to address the wide-ranging and deep-rooted causes of child poverty.
The Taskforce will put the direct testimony of children, families, campaigners, and organisations at the heart of its work, with a view to the Child Poverty Strategy being published in spring next year.
This comes as the latest data shows that over four million children are now growing up in low-income families. This not only harms children’s lives now, but also limits their prospects and holds back our economic potential as a country.
As part of their work to develop the strategy, ministers on the Taskforce will also visit cities and towns across the UK, working closely with local and devolved government leaders to hear how child poverty devastates local communities and what can be done to combat it.
Amidst a broken housing market, millions waiting for medical treatment and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, ministers highlighted the immense scale of the challenge in their inaugural meeting, examining why there are 700,000 more children living in poverty compared to 2010.
The Taskforce will utilise all available levers to drive forward short-term and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty, by:
- Supporting households to increase their income, including considering social security reforms that support people into work and alleviate poverty.
- Helping to reduce essential household costs, build savings and tackle problem debt.
- Mitigating the negative impacts of living in poverty, including through supporting families and the role of public services.
The Taskforce will be supported by a new Child Poverty Unit in the Cabinet Office, bringing together experts from within and outside government to help co-ordinate the development of the strategy.
Tackling child poverty across the United Kingdom is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances of every child
Rachel Hopkins MP for Luton South & South Bedfordshire said:
“Tackling child poverty is a top priority for the Labour Government. We have seen the impact of child poverty across our constituency on children’s lives at home, in school and in their future opportunities.
“After 14 years of Conservative Government, over 40% of children in our constituency are currently facing child poverty.
“That is why this Taskforce is so important – only by reducing poverty and increasing opportunity can we build a better future for people in Luton South and South Bedfordshire, and across the country.”
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson MP said:
“Child poverty is a scar on our country, which holds back children’s lives and life chances at home, in school and across our communities.
“The scale of the challenge cannot be overstated. That is why this taskforce, working across government, is essential to ensure all departments are supporting this ambition and delivering on our mission of breaking down the barriers to opportunity for every child.
“We will work with stakeholders, families and crucially children themselves so that our approach is guided by those impacted most.”