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Families living in poverty rises in UK |
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Written by PA News
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Wednesday, 12 March 2008 |
The number of families living in extreme poverty has increased since Labour
made its flagship pledge to halve child poverty this decade, according to
figures highlighted by the Conservatives.
Some 1.8 million households were living on less than 40% of the median average
national income in 2005/06 - 400,000 more than the 1.4 million recorded in
1998/99 - according to statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions.
The figures emerged as Chancellor Alistair Darling prepared to unveil a Budget
which campaigners regard as his last chance to meet the target of halving child
poverty by 2010.
Under the Government's measure, which records children living in households
below 60% of average income, numbers of children in poverty have dropped by
600,000 from 3.4 million in 1998/99 to 2.8 million in 2005/06.
Campaigners say £4 billion of additional investment is needed to make the
further 1.1 million reduction to hit the 2010 target, and Mr Darling is widely
expected to announce increases to Working Tax Credit to help lift more children
out of poverty.
But a Department for Work and Pensions document last month appeared to
acknowledge that the goal was in jeopardy, stating that "despite effective
policies these targets are unlikely to be fully met".
Shadow work and pensions secretary Chris Grayling today that the headline
figures showing a reduction in child poverty masked a failure to make an impact
on the UK's poorest households.
While numbers of children in households below 60% of average income have fallen
since 1998/99, the proportion in extreme poverty - below the 40% level - has
risen from 5% to 6%, he said.
He called on Mr Darling to end the so-called "couple penalty" in the tax credits
system, which Conservatives argue gives parents a financial incentive to split.
A source close to Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell accused the
Conservatives of spinning the poverty statistics, saying that Mr Grayling was
well aware that the 40% figures were not regarded as reliable and were not
accepted by the independent Office for National Statistics.
Source: PA News
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