The scale of child poverty across Britain revealed
A detailed map reveals how every pocket of Britain is faring, ward by ward, almost street by street.
Child poverty measures must not be a distraction
It's no secret that the Government is struggling to end child poverty. But Labour also found it difficult.
Is charity the best solution to child poverty in the UK?
Save the Children's historic UK campaign raises political questions about the impact of the Government's decisions on the poorest.
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One in five UK children 'living below the poverty line'
One in five children in the UK live below the poverty line, according to research published today. The End Child Poverty campaign published figures showing that 20.2% of children live in poverty, before housing costs.
In 8 areas of large cities, more than four out of every 10 children lived in poverty in 2012, the research showed.
Read: Poverty 'affecting 20% of children across Britain'
In central Manchester almost half of children live below the breadline, whilst in West Belfast and Glasgow the figure is 43%. Campaigners say the research reveals "gross levels of inequality".
ITV News' Scotland correspondent Debi Edwards reports.
In-depth: The scale of child poverty across Britain revealed.
The scale of child poverty across Britain revealed
A detailed map reveals how every pocket of Britain is faring, ward by ward, almost street by street.
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Government tackling 'root causes' of child poverty
The Government says it is committed to eradicating child poverty and in a statement the Department for Work and Pensions spokeswoman said:
"We want to take a new approach by tackling the root causes including worklessness, educational failure and family breakdown.
"Our welfare reforms will improve the lives of some of the poorest families in our communities, with the Universal Credit simplifying the complex myriad of benefits and making three million people better off."
'Gross levels of inequality' in every UK region
The child poverty map reveals the depth and breadth of child poverty across the country showing the gross levels of inequality that children face in every region. Far too many children whose parents are struggling to making a living are having to go hungry and miss out on the essentials of a decent childhood that all young people should be entitled to.
The huge disparities that exist across the country have become more entrenched and are now an enduring reality as many more children are set to become trapped in long term poverty and disadvantage.
– Enver Solomon, Chair of the End Child Poverty campaignLocal authorities are having to deal with reduced budgets but they have critical decisions to make. Were calling on authorities to prioritise low income families in the decisions they make about local welfare spending, including spending on the new council tax benefit, and on protecting families hit by the bedroom tax.
This week we have written to local authority leaders in the local authorities with the most child poverty, asking them what they will do to tackle child poverty in their local area.
Poverty affecting '20% of children' across Britain
New figures reveal the extent to which British children are living in poverty. The Campaign to End Child Poverty says 20.2% of British children are classified as below the poverty line, before housing costs. The top 20 parliamentary constituencies for child poverty in the UK are:
- Manchester Central, 47%
- Belfast West, 43%
- Glasgow North East, 43%
- Birmingham, Ladywood, 42%
- Bethnal Green and Bow, 42%
- Liverpool, Riverside, 42%
- Poplar and Limehouse, 41%
- Middlesbrough, 40%
- Blackley and Broughton, 38%
- Newcastle upon Tyne Central, 38%
Get the full interactive map showing poverty levels across the UK here.
Iain Duncan Smith's call over addiction link to poverty
Eradicating child poverty must mean tackling issues like the addiction of parents to drugs or alcohol as well low family incomes, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith will say today.
During a speech at the Kids Company charity in London, Mr Duncan Smith will argue that there has been too much focus on moving families over an "arbitrary poverty line" without a proper understanding of the real problems they are facing.
He will also use the speech to call for a new "multidimensional measure" of child poverty to operate alongside the existing income-based measure, to better reflect the reality of children's lives.
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Government vows to tackle child poverty
The Government has announced controversial plans to tackle child poverty. They want to move away from the previous Labour government's focus on relative household income as an indicator of child poverty and use a "multidimensional" measure.
ITV News Correspondent Sally Biddulph reports:
Child poverty must be measured 'in a sensible way'
Schools minister David Laws told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that to get policy right, "you have to measure child poverty in a sensible way".
Mr Laws said the aim needed to be about taking people out of poverty in the long term and "not just maintaining them on means-tested benefits".
We think, and this is a crucial policy difference, we think the last Labour government's strategy of putting more and more money into means-tested benefits just to move people slightly above the poverty line is defunct now, not only because we have run out of money, but because in the long term you've got to give people opportunity.
New measures 'will replace household income targets'
Iain Duncan Smith will today say that "meaningful and accurate" measures on child poverty will replace "arbitrary" household income targets. Daybreak's Gregg Easteal reports:
Child poverty measures must not be a distraction
It's no secret that the Government is struggling to end child poverty. But Labour also found it difficult.
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