Child Poverty Action Group

A landmark ruling today from the EU’s highest court has upheld the rights of pregnant EU nationals to equal treatment when claiming benefits.   The European Court of Justice ruled that a French national who was working in the UK and had to give up work because of the late stages of pregnancy should be entitled to income support.

Commenting on today’s publication of ‘The Condition of Britain’ by the IPPR, Alison Garnham, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group, said:

“The Condition of Britain is a chance to move on from attacking the victims of Britain’s condition to addressing its causes – such as the lack of decently paid jobs, expensive housing and unaffordable childcare that has left benefits and tax credits doing too much of the heavy lifting.

Cuts to benefits have left families in London struggling and unsure how they will afford to stay living in their area, according to a new CPAG report released today.

Based on interviews with councils, advice services and parents as well a review of existing evidence, the report highlights that these key groups share the same fear: a housing crisis uprooting families from their homes and communities, with children’s education facing huge disruption by these forced moves.

Responding to the hard-hitting report today from the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission on the government’s child poverty strategy, Alison Garnham, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group, said:

“The Coalition established the Commission as an expert watchdog on child poverty, so when it says the government’s child poverty strategy lacks credibility Ministers must do something about it.

Two grandparents caring for a severely disabled child hit by the “bedroom tax” vowed to fight on today, after their judicial review challenge was dismissed by the High Court. Paul and Susan Rutherford care for their 14-year-old grandson Warren in a specially adapted home that includes a room for professional carers to stay in overnight. Their housing benefit has been reduced as they are deemed to have a spare bedroom.

Commenting on a report today by Save the Children UK warning of a massive rise in child poverty by 2020, Alison Garnham, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group, said:

“The warnings of a surge in child poverty are bleak, but hardly surprising when families have been put in the frontline of austerity and the back of the queue for the recovery.

Responding to the commencement today of a controversial fees system under the new Child Maintenance Service, Alison Garnham, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group, said:

“Single parents are at higher risk of living below the poverty line, and making sure they get fair child maintenance payments from non-resident parents is crucial to reducing the poverty rate of single parent families.

“The big problem with fees is they may put off parents from seeking help from the Child Maintenance Service, leaving them settling for arrangements where their former partner doesn’t put a fair share towards the cost of raising their child.

Responding to the Labour leader Ed Miliband’s announcement today on the minimum wage, Alison Garnham, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group, said:

“The inconvenient truth is that for too many families, work isn't a route out of poverty – two-thirds of poor children live in working families.

“Tackling the UK's low pay problem will reduce the burden on tax credits and housing benefits, freeing up resources to target back to those who need most help.

“As the economy grows it is only right that everyone shares the benefits including the lowest paid and this would lock fairness into the growing economy.”

Commenting on new analysis published today by the Office for National Statistics showing the number of zero-hour contract jobs is higher than previously thought, Imran Hussain, Head of Policy, Rights and Advocacy for Child Poverty Action Group, said:

“It’s not enough to look at how much the economy is growing, we need to look at how the economy is changing too. We need a recovery all can share in and which isn’t built on the backs of more working families stuck in low pay or the insecurity of zero-hour contracts.

Child Poverty Action Group, the National Union of Teachers, the British Youth Council and Kids Company have jointly released a report on the Costs of Going to School produced by a group of 400 school-aged young people.

For the full press release, visit the NUT website.

The report can be downloaded from the top right of this page.