Child poverty strategy lacks London focus, say campaigners

16 August 2011 1 min read Janaki Mahadevan Education Health Children's Services Child poverty

The government has been criticised for failing to offer a focused strategy on child poverty in London, after latest statistics reveal that councils with the highest uptake of free school meals are all in the capital.

The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) said the figures released by the Department for Education, underline the need for a greater effort to reduce poverty in the capital.

According to the data, Tower Hamlets has the highest percentage of secondary students taking up free school meals at 45.9, followed closely by Islington, Westminster, Southwark and Newham.

CPAG said this reflects findings from the End Child Poverty campaign’s child poverty map published in March.

"This data reflects the reality of where child poverty is and while it is a nationwide problem there is a particular issue in London," CPAG’s head of policy Imran Hussein said.

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