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Child Poverty Campaigners united in shock at scrapping of protection against child poverty - 30th of Nov, 2011

In response to today’s Autumn Statement, the Campaign Coordinator for End Child Poverty, Tim Nichols, said:

"The members of the Campaign to End Child Poverty are completely dismayed that the government has dropped a promise to stop child poverty rising. The government now admits there will be 100,000 more children in poverty due to its cuts. It has scrapped an increase in child tax credit that was intended to stop child poverty rising and now admits other cuts will affect child poverty more too.

"We were told that we are all in this together and that the broadest shoulders will take the greatest burden. That has not happened today and the poorest families, whether in work or out of work, have been told they will get poorer. It is hard to comprehend why it's the poorest families being hit again."

Notes to editors

1. The End Child Poverty campaign is made up of more than 150 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. For a full list of members, visit www.endchildpoverty.org.uk

   We campaign 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.
2. The £110 increase in child tax credit, due to reach families in April 2012 and previously cited by Ministers as protection against increases in child poverty, has been scrapped today.
3. The government has estimated in its distributional impact assessment that child poverty will be 100,000 higher next year as a consequence of its spending proposals.

   For more details, see page 6: http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/as2011_distributional_analysis.pdf

   Contact: Tim Nichols (020 7812 5216 or 07812 5216) tnichols@cpag.org.uk