As required by section 1(1) of the Child Poverty Act 2010, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has laid a report on whether or not the previous Government’s target to halve child poverty by 2010 was met.
The target to halve child poverty by 2010 was not met. The number of children living in relative income poverty in 2010/11 was reduced to 2.3 million. This is 600,000 short of the number required to meet the target.
The report shows that the evidence consistently demonstrates that the best routes out of poverty are through achievement in education and work. Income matters, but it is also about addressing barriers to employment and ensuring that every family has the skills and opportunity to succeed, compete for good jobs and lift themselves out of poverty. Until the root causes of poverty are tackled, it will not be eradicated. Central to the Government’s work are the principles of fairness, responsibility and support for the most vulnerable members of society. The Government wants to create a stronger society; one where everyone has the opportunity to reach their potential. Only then will society be able to move towards the eradication of child poverty.
