- Conference
- 2009 National Delegate Conference
- Date
- 22 January 2009
- Decision
- Carried
The United Kingdom has one of the worst rates of child poverty in the industrialised world. 3.9 nine million children (30%) are living in poverty. In the North West over a quarter of our children are living in poverty. In some of our communities in the North West, as many as 65 per cent of children are living on the breadline. This is already unacceptable but as the credit crunch squeezes family budgets, the problem is getting worse.
Child poverty impacts on every aspect of children’s lives and costs us all. Poverty shortens lives, children’s health suffers, children’s development slows. Before reaching his or her second birthday, a child from a poorer family is already more likely to show a lower level of attainment than that of a child from a better off family. Children growing up in poverty are more likely to leave school at 16 with fewer qualifications.
Work is one of the keys to breaking the poverty cycle. The majority of poor children live in a household where at least one adult works but 43% live in a household headed by a lone parent – 2% of couples and 8% of lone parents cannot afford two pairs of shoes for each child. A ridiculous state of affairs in a twenty first century western civilisation.
The government has committed itself to eradicating child poverty but it needs to back this up with actions that deliver real change and improvement. A modest improvement to child benefit was seen this year but there was no increase in child tax credits which could have gone some way to helping the situation.
Conference calls on the National Executive Council to work closely with Child Poverty Action Group (UK and Scotland) and End Child Poverty in their campaigns; taking the example of the CPAG (Scotland) ‘Ten Steps to a society free of child poverty’, and to develop a plan enabling branches and members to engage in fighting child poverty that includes:
1)The government to seriously commit to eradicating child poverty;
2)Poverty proofed policies – ensuring consistency with eradicating child poverty;
3)Call on the government to uprate the combined value of child tax credit and child benefit at least in line with the fastest growing of
either prices or earnings;
4) Increase adult payments within income support in line with those for children;
5)Reform the administration of tax credits and benefits;
6)Ensure all children have full access to the requirements of their education;
7)Provide benefit entitlements to all UK residents equally, irrespective of
immigration status;
8)Work towards better jobs, as well as more jobs;
9)Introduce free at the point of delivery, good quality universal childcare;
10)Reduce the disproportionate burden of taxation on poorer families.