Child poverty moves 'not worth pint of milk'
The government's pledge to eradicate child poverty is more in doubt than it has ever been following yesterday's Budget, campaigners have claimed.
Budget 2009: Child poverty moves 'not worth pint of milk'" class="imageframe alignright" height="200" src="http://pictures.directnews.co.uk/liveimages/Woman+with+pendant_1455_19134602_0_0_15255_300.jpg" width="200"/>The government's pledge to eradicate child poverty is more in doubt than it has ever been following yesterday's Budget, campaigners have claimed.
On Wednesday the chancellor announced an annual boost in child tax credit worth £20, increases to child trust funds for disabled children and a move to allow hours spent by working-age grandparents caring for grandchildren to count towards entitlement for basic state pension.
The measures are part of New Labour's commitment to halve the 3.4 million children in poverty in 1999 by 2010 and eradicate it completely by 2020.
But when asked what proportion of the £3 billion needed to halve child poverty the announcements amounted to, campaigners told inthenews.co.uk it was "so little it's hard to say".
"Their commitment is more in doubt than it's ever been," a spokesperson from the Child Poverty Action Group said.
"Only a major last-minute push at the Pre-Budget Report could still see the target met."
He explained that £20 per year per child equalled 38p extra a week for each child in a family.
"We think that it's a shameful pittance less than the cost of a pint of milk," the spokesperson added.
The Campaign to End Child Poverty meanwhile said the Budget would not improve the lives of 3.9 million children living in poverty after housing costs.
3.9 million currently living in poverty after housing costs
Hilary Fisher, director of the campaign, said: "Some families in poverty will be helped by the support for Jobcentre Plus and for those under 25 unemployed for over a year, but putting money into the hands of parents is the key way to lift children out of poverty and the shamefully small increase in child tax credit will not be enough.
"The government is unlikely now to meet its own target to halve child poverty by 2010. Without the £3 billion invested in family incomes that we called for in this budget, children across the UK will continue to face the costs of social disadvantage, exclusion and poor health and nutrition."