- Conference
- 2012 National Delegate Conference
- Date
- 23 February 2012
- Decision
- Carried
Conference is deeply concerned that the UK has one of the highest rates of child poverty in the industrialised world. It is a national disgrace that the UK has proportionally more children in poverty than most rich countries. Almost four million of our children will grow up in poverty and these numbers are rising.
This government has missed its target of cutting child poverty by half by 2010, because, like previous governments, it has failed to prioritise children and does not invest sufficiently in measures that would lift our children out of poverty. The 21 millionaires in the Cabinet do not understand the devastating effect that living in poverty has on the lives of our children, the effect on their life chances, their education and their health.
After a period where the numbers of children in poverty had begun to reduce, the impact of rising joblessness is creating a new crisis of child poverty in Britain. A recent study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies shows that children living in absolute poverty is set to increase by 500,000 by 2015.
Conference is further concerned that the majority (59%) of poor children live in a household where at least one adult works. Many of these will be our low paid members.
In addition to the human cost to families and children of allowing high levels of poverty to continue, research estimates that child poverty costs £25 billion each year in costs to the Exchequer and reduced GDP.
Conference condemns the UK government’s austerity measures which are further exacerbating child poverty at the same time as boardroom pay is increasing and banks give out millions in bonuses. It deplores government policies which are leading to increased inequality in the UK.
Cuts to public services and welfare provision impact disproportionately on families with children, thrusting more and more into poverty. Universal credit will make matters worse.
Conference calls on the National Executive Council to put tackling poverty back at the heart of the political agenda and to:
1) continue to make child poverty a key campaigning issue in the fight against public service and welfare cuts, under the Million Voices and Public Works banner;
2) continue to monitor and highlight the impact of public service cuts, benefit changes and job losses on children in the UK, as part of the Million Voices and Public Works Campaign;
3) monitor the UK government’s implementation of the Child Poverty Act to ensure that their commitment to reduce child poverty is put into practice;
4) work through Labour Link to challenge the government to prioritise children and to meet their commitment to end child poverty by 2020.
5) continue to campaign for a living wage for all;
6) continue to work with groups such as the Child Poverty Action Group and the End Child Poverty Campaign to campaign for an end to child poverty in the UK by 2020.