Conservative Coalition fail to tackle rising child poverty levels
- Labour proposes a dedicated departmental team for child poverty.
Labour’s children’s spokesperson Deputy Séan Sherlock has expressed deep concern following the release of the State of the Nation’s Children Report which found alarming statistics in a rise in child poverty. It found in 2022,15.2% of children are now at risk of poverty, an increase from 13.6% in 2021. Moreover, the number of children experiencing consistent poverty has risen from 5.2% to 7.5% during the same period.
Deputy Sherlock said:
“These distressing figures demand immediate attention and robust action. Having one child living in poverty should be a national scandal. It’s clear from this report that far too many children continue to be failed by this conservative coalition. Our children deserve better. They deserve access to a public childcare place to learn and to grow, they deserve a warm home with food on the table, and they deserve equality of opportunity when it comes to education.
“We are one of the wealthiest countries in the world. In Labour’s alternative budget proposal, we envisioned funding the creation of a dedicated departmental team focused solely on the goal of eliminating child poverty. A key task would be producing a roadmap for how this would be introduced.
“Labour urgently calls upon the Government to acknowledge and address this escalating child poverty crisis. We demand swift action to implement comprehensive solutions, including the establishment of a dedicated department focused on eradicating child poverty. We implore the Government to prioritise the well-being of our nation’s children, ensuring they have access to education, shelter, and equal opportunities. The time for change is now.”