Child poverty targets under threat

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published the New Policy Institute’s annual Monitoring poverty and social exclusion study.

Its authors argue that there has been no sustained progress on tackling child poverty in the last three years. They also note the number of children in poverty increased by 200,000 in 2005/06.

Peter Kenway, co-author of the report, said: “Progress on child poverty has stalled at a level that is only half way to the target set for two years ago.

“Yet the government’s budgetary and legislative programme set out this autumn contains no substantial new ideas about what should be done.”

A separate report from the Treasury Select Committee suggest the government’s target to half child poverty by 2010 may be missed.