Children’s commissioner: Politicians must take child poverty 'out of the too difficult box'
Joe Lepper
Thursday, January 21, 2021
Children’s commissioner for England Anne Longfield has delivered a stern rebuke to politicians over a lack of action to address child poverty.
Too often policy aimed at alleviating child poverty is a “sticking plaster for the symptoms” and made “as a result of short-term political embarrassment”, she said.
Last year the government was forced into a high profile policy U-turn to ensure disadvantaged pupils receive free school meals out of term time following a high-profile campaign fronted by charities and Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford.
The meagre content of free meals sent to families prompted another government U-turn this year.
“Child poverty was already a problem before the pandemic, but it has been laid bare by the Covid crisis and must not be ignored any longer,” said Longfield.
“The shocking image of a family being sent half a carrot in a food parcel shows a system of support that, as well as often falling short, is at times demeaning and stigmatising. Yet some are still squeamish about even using the phrase ‘child poverty'."
She says child poverty needs to be higher up on the agenda of both the Conservative and Labour parties and wants to see urgent action to support disadvantaged children in low income households.
“Neither of the two main political parties fought the last General Election with plans to significantly reduce child poverty, despite the fact it had been rising for most of the past decade.”
Among measures children's campaigners are calling for is to ensure the current £20 increase in universal credit during the Covid pandemic is maintained. This is due to end in April.
Children’s Commissioner @annelongfield calls on politicians to take child poverty out of the ‘too difficult box’ and come up with a big, bold plan to fix it https://t.co/6bXJfZLeri
— Children's Commissioner for England (@ChildrensComm) January 21, 2021
“Child poverty is one of the four major political, economic and social challenges facing us, along with decarbonising our economy, looking after an aging population, and preparing the jobs market for automation. We need to treat it with the same seriousness, and even greater urgency," Longfield added.
“Politicians must take child poverty out of the ‘too difficult box’ now, and come up with a big, bold, long-term plan for fixing it.”
Longfield’s comments come as she publishes a series of essays on child poverty from a cross-party group of politicians, children’s professionals and charities.
This includes a paper by former Prime Minister Tony Blair on “a national plan to eradicate child poverty”. Conservative MP Stephen Timms, who is chair of the work and pensions select committee, has written about “a new child poverty target”
Meanwhile, Trussell Trust chief executive Emma Revie has submitted an essay on child food poverty and Association of Directors of Children’s Services vice president Charlotte Ramsden on the impact of child poverty.
