Case for child poverty action ‘more pressing than ever’

Commenting on the Treasury Committee’s report, Budget measures and low income households, which describes action on child poverty as ‘more pressing than ever’, the Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group, Kate Green, said:

“Britain is wealthy enough to be free from child poverty and with public will and political courage we will succeed. The Pre-Budget Report this autumn is a vital test of the Government’s moral resolve. Investing £3bn to meet the 2010 target to halve child poverty will give new hope to millions of British children living in poverty.

“A poverty commission that focuses on the structural problems behind Britain’s culture of inequality could help us become a much fairer nation.”

Commenting on poor progress on in-work poverty, she added:

“Moving families from workless poverty to in-work poverty is not good enough. Low pay is helping to leave two million British children below the poverty line in working households. We need to change Britain’s damaging culture of inequality through, fair pay, family friendly employers for all parents and fair taxation.”

Notes for editors

• CPAG is the leading charity campaigning for the abolition of child poverty in the UK and for a better deal for low-income families and children.
• CPAG is one of over 100 member organisations of the Campaign to End Child Poverty, campaigning for public and political commitment to ensure the goals of halving child poverty by 2010 and ending child poverty by 2020 are met.

For further information please contact:
Tim Nichols
CPAG Press Officer
Tel. 020 7812 5216 or 07816 909302
tnichols@cpag.org.uk