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Invisible Islington: A report by the Cripplegate Foundation (2008)
Campaign News
Response to the Launch of The Mayors Fund for London - 7th of Apr, 2009
The Campaign to End Child Poverty has welcomed the launch of The Mayor’s Fund aimed at tackling child poverty in London, but says it will not solve the capital’s crisis.
Liz Thorne, End Child Poverty’s London Development Manager, said, “It’s a great start but it will take a lot more to improve the lives of London’s 650,000 children living in poverty.
“While London is the economic powerhouse of the UK, shockingly it is also home to some of its most deprived boroughs, and has one of the highest proportions of children living in poverty of any region or country in Great Britain.
“Putting that right will take more than Mr Johnson calling on his friends in the City to support The Mayor’s Fund.
“The Government needs to invest at least £3 billion in tax credits and benefits to keep their promise of halving child poverty by 2010.
“At the same time, the End Child Poverty London Project is working to identify projects and schemes that have a positive impact on the levels of child poverty in the capital and develop strong networks through which knowledge of good practice can be shared.”
The Mayor’s Fund was a key pledge in Boris Johnson’s mayoral election campaign last year. Companies, foundations and rich individuals have been invited to contribute to help support the capital’s most disadvantaged children. Three schemes that work with children in Shoreditch, east London, have already been identified for help.
Notes to editors
For more information, or an interview with Liz Thorne, please contact Chloë Bryan-Brown, 020-7278 3405, media@ecpc.org.uk or see the End Child Poverty London Project website www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/london
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