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Child Poverty and Housing, End Child Poverty 2007
Campaign News
HBAI REPORT - GOVERNMENT PROGRESS ON CHILD POVERTY STALLED - 7th of May, 2009
The Campaign to End Child Poverty expressed disappointment at the HBAI (Homes below average income) statistics released today. The figures revealed that the number of children living in poverty remained largely unchanged from the previous year, this together with the Government’s failure to support poor children in the 2009 budget leads the Government urgently needing to prove it’s commitment to eradicating child poverty.
Hilary Fisher, director of End Child Poverty said: “Ten years ago Government committed to eradicating child poverty but these figures show progress has stalled. In the previous two years child poverty actually rose. Progress has been made on child poverty but the UK is way off track on its targets and budget 2009 invested less than a pint of milk per week per child in family incomes and so did nothing to narrow the gap.
These are not just statistics; they are real children and real families and poverty is damaging them. The Government must do more to help those on the lowest incomes particularly during this difficult economic time and tackling child poverty is a key part of this. What we cannot afford are the social and economic costs of continuing to fail our children.” Notes to editors
1. The Campaign to End Child Poverty includes children's and other charities, social justice groups, faith-groups, trade unions, businesses and many others concerned about the unacceptably high levels of child poverty in the UK who are working together for change. For more information visit our website www.endchildpoverty.org.uk
2. The comments in this release represent the views of End Child Poverty and do not necessarily reflect the views of member organisations.
3. In March 1999 Tony Blair promised to eradicate child poverty ‘within a generation’. This has been defined as by 2020, with targets towards this of reducing child income poverty by a quarter between 1998/99 and 2004/05, and by half by 2010/11.
For further information: Contact Hilary Fisher 020 7278 6745
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