Child poverty rises by 200,000 – Government must take action
For immediate release: 28 June 2016
The Households Below Average Income figures for 2014/5 released today show that while average income has risen above the 2009/10 levels for the first time, child poverty is on the rise, with 200,000 more children in poverty. The number of children in poverty (after housing costs are taken into account) increased from 3.7 million to 3.9 million.
Most worryingly of all, this includes a 6% rise in the proportion of children in poverty in working families – with two thirds of children in poverty now in working families.
Sam Royston, Chair of the End Child Poverty Coalition, said “This week the government postponed its Life Chances Strategy in the wake of Brexit. We must not allow the EU negotiations to get in the way of action on UK poverty – 3.9 million children living in poverty, with two thirds of these in working families, is simply unacceptable. The government promised to ‘make work pay’ but this is not happening for the 66% of children in poverty who are in working families.
End Child Poverty calls for urgent action to tackle child poverty. An immediate end to the four year benefit freeze is particularly important in the context of inflationary risks following the EU referendum result.”
Ends.
Notes to editors
You can get in touch with the End Child Poverty coalition by emailing kate@endchildpoverty.org.uk or on 07918 567577.
The Household Below Average Income figures for the period to 2014/15 are released today, 28 June 2016. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/530896/households-below-average-income-1994-1995-2014-2015.pdf
IPPR analysis suggests that Brexit inflation shock will hit the poorest families twice as hard as the richest.
The Campaign to End Child Poverty (www.endchildpoverty.org.uk) is made up of more than 100 organisations from civic society including children’s charities, child welfare organisations, social justice groups, faith groups, trade unions and others, united in our vision of a UK free of child poverty. These include Child Poverty Action Group, The Children’s Society, Family Action, Barnardo’s, 4Children, Contact a Family, Gingerbread, Oxfam, Action for Children, TUC, Family and Childcare Trust, Save the Children, and the National Children’s Bureau. End Child Poverty campaigns to achieve our vision by: Ensuring the voices of families facing economic disadvantage are heard; Increasing understanding of the causes and impacts of child poverty and mobilising public support and action; Promoting to politicians and government the case for ending child poverty by 2020, the actions that will achieve it and holding them to account on the requirements of the Child Poverty Act.