Dick Whittington thought the streets of London were paved with gold.They weren't, but his rag-to-riches tale saw him become mayor threetimes. It's become the stuff of fairy tales and today the idea thatLondon is prosperous and full of opportunities endures. But the realitycan be dreadfully different.
"It's easy to assume that London is a very rich place. But thestereotype has held back policy on tackling child poverty and meantwe've not always had the resources to tackle the issue," says CarolineAbrahams, chair of the charity End Child Poverty.
London's current Mayor, Ken Livingstone, wants to change this. Last weekhe launched the country's first independent commission on child poverty(Children Now, 22-28 February), chaired by Carey Oppenheim. Its aim isto reduce and eventually eliminate destitution in the capital.
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