Nearly half of children in North Devon living in child poverty
October 7, 2008 3:18 PM
Local MP Nick Harvey has called for immediate action from the Government after figures showed nearly one in every two children in North Devon are classed as living in poverty.
The report released last week by the Campaign to End Child Poverty estimated that a startling 45 percent of children in the area are living in low-income families, where no-one is working more than 16 hours a week, or where the family is receiving the full amount of Working Tax Credits.
Despite promises in 1999 by Tony Blair's Government to "eradicate child poverty within a generation", halving the numbers by 2010 and eradicating it totally by 2020, the Government will need to cut it by 300,000 a year over the next four to meet the target.
Commenting on the figures, Nick Harvey MP said:
"People think poverty only happens in urban areas, but the reality is that for some living in rural areas life is very difficult.
Poverty impacts not only on the everyday existence of a child, but on their life chances.
In 2008, it should not be the case that a child living in one area of the country, will live longer than a child living in another, merely because of the circumstances of their birth.
We need urgent action from the Government now to address the current shortfalls and give children a brighter future"
Further Information
The UK has one of the worst rates of child poverty in the industrialised world, despite being among the world's richest nations.
The Campaign to End Child Poverty is a coalition of more than 120 organisations concerned with the unacceptably high levels of child poverty in the UK and determined to ensure the Government meets its targets.
Their campaign was marked by a rally at the weekend in Central London
Further information about the 'End Child Poverty' can be found at: http://www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/
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