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TARGETS HELP REDUCE CHILD POVERTY - NEWS ALERT - 30th of Oct, 2009

Campaigners deplore “poorly reasoned” think tank call to scrap child poverty targets  

A report by the Policy Exchange think tank calling for the scrapping of the government’s child poverty targets is poorly reasoned and ignores the evidence, according to the Campaign to End Child Poverty (ECP).  

Kate Green, Chief Executive of the Child Poverty Action Group and Chair of End Child Poverty, said:  

“It is hard to take this poorly reasoned report seriously. At a time when the recession is plunging more children into poverty, calling for targets to be scrapped ignores the evidence that targets have helped to reduce child poverty by 500,000 over the past decade. Substantial investment in low income families in the Pre-Budget Report is essential if the government is to come close to its target of halving child poverty by next year. Struggling children and families across the country need support, not ideology."

This Tuesday 3 November, a new report by leading social policy researcher Donald Hirsch will reveal that growing unemployment is pushing more children into poverty in affluent as well as traditionally hard hit areas across the UK. End Child Poverty is urging the government to take five key steps to ensure it meets its target of halving child poverty by 20101.  

For further information and interviews, please contact:   Natasha Adams