Government urged to act over child poverty

Updated 19.42 Sun Oct 07 2007
Keywords: Save the Children, poverty

Save the Children has warned the Government is likely to miss its own target of halving child poverty by 2010 by as much as 14 years.

The charity is demanding a £4 billion cash injection from Chancellor Alistair Darling when he makes two key spending statements to the Commons this week.

Save the Children has warned that the Government is likely to miss its own target of halving child poverty by 2010 by as much as 14 years

The warning came as a think-tank produced evidence that the numbers of children in working households in poverty had risen since Labour came to power in 1997.

The Institute for Public Policy Research called for reforms to the tax credit system to encourage both parents to work and advice to help people out of poorly-paid jobs.

Mr Darling will deliver the Pre-Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) to the Commons on Tuesday and is under pressure to announce new measures.

Save the Children said at least £1 billion should be announced in Tuesday's Pre-Budget Report, with another £3 billion pumped in by March 2009 to give "any hope" of meeting the 2010 target.

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