The Child Poverty Bill

The government announced a Child Poverty Bill nearly a year ago - why has it taken so long to see it? It may be one of those occasions where a press-grabbing policy statement was made, and then the detailed work began. However, that's not to downplay government's strenuous efforts to reduce child poverty since their pledge to eradicate it in 1999. The bill, published on 11 June, builds on that work and tries to keep the momentum going - with a touch perhaps of the government also trying to protect the legacy of one of its bravest policy announcements.

But is it possible to legislate to eradicate child poverty? The bill doesn't aim to completely eradicate poverty - it aims to reduce and sustain that reduction. It places a duty on the Secretary of State to meet UK-wide targets by 1 April 2020. There are four targets: less then 10 per cent of children will live in relative low income; less than five per cent of children will live in combined material deprivation and low income; less than five per cent of children will live in absolute low income; and a yet-to-be-identified percentage will live in persistent poverty. The persistent poverty target awaits new survey data before it can be set.