By Aaron Barbour
Today over 85 members of the Campaign to End Child Poverty (including us at Community Links) call on the government to guarantee that forthcoming child poverty legislation is underpinned by a set of principles which will ensure major improvements to children’s life chances.
We at Community Links have been working to tackle child poverty over thirty years – we recently produced a summary of our research detailing our practical work in east London. We welcome this legislation, which with sufficient investment by the government, could offer a solid framework for directing policy and resources. This could provide a strong process for holding this and any future government on track to eradication of child poverty by 2020. However the Chancellor, as Minister responsible for the legislation, should not detract from the pressing need for government to invest the necessary resources to reach the interim target of halving child poverty by 2010.
Hilary Fisher, who’s the Director of the Campaign, told us, “It is crucial that the journey to 2020 has the best possible start. This Child Poverty Bill will only be as good as the resources committed to it. There is a pressing need for government to invest the £3bn necessary in this year’s Budget to keep their promise of halving child poverty by 2010 and help those families on the lowest incomes at such a difficult financial time. The legislation’s focus on 2020 should not detract from this.”
The consultation process for the legislation finishes on 11th March. So get involved. Find out more about the consultation.
You can also download a copy of the ECP principles. Please circulate them to your local MP and community groups.
We helped put the Statement of Principles together, and they can be summarised as follows:
The child poverty legislation must:
- Define the ‘eradication of child poverty’ and ensure the relative low income target is set at below 5%.
- Place a duty ongovernment to publish annual progress reports.
- Include a statutory duty on the UKfovernment to work with the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
- Establish a clear process and timescale for the publication of the first and subsequent strategy documents on child poverty.
- Specify interim dates by which steps or key milestones towards the 2020 goal should be achieved.
- Ensure the process for formulating strategy is firmly linked to Government spending decisions
Require ‘poverty-proofing’ of all policies at both national and local levels. - Establish a scrutiny body and engagement with stakeholders.
