Westminster must set ambitious, measurable targets to reduce child poverty

In the coming weeks, the government will finally unveil its long-awaited strategy for dealing with the ballooning child poverty crisis. For 15 months, ministers have deliberated what action will achieve the “enduring reduction” in child poverty they promised upon election. It’s finally time to see their working out.

The government cannot fulfil this promise without quantifying what an “enduring reduction” in child poverty looks like. This means setting themselves ambitious, measurable child poverty targets which propel this urgent work forward. But the government’s reticence so far has left us worried they’re looking to dodge this vital layer of scrutiny.

Quite simply, we’re worried that the government does not want its homework marked when it comes to child poverty.

Read more:

• Everything you need to know about Labour’s child poverty strategy
• Meet the primary school children with big ideas to end homelessness in the UK
• Families with disabled children left waiting months to get benefits due to DWP delays

The government’s reluctance to add Scotland-style binding child poverty targets to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill has rung alarm bells. Their official response, in which the minister argued that such targets are “not an effective means of binding government to a specific course of action”, felt notably out of step with the prime minister’s signature ‘mission-led government’, which includes headline targets for each of his five missions.

We can appreciate why the government may be daunted by the sheer scale of the promise they’ve made here. The government is aiming to get to grips with an issue that’s still growing rapidly, wreaking untold harm on more and more children with each passing day.

There are a record 4.5 million children living in poverty in the UK today, and without further government action, the Child Poverty Action Group forecasts this will reach 4.7 million by the end of this parliament.

The long-term repercussions of this widespread poverty on all aspects of our society – on our schools, our NHS, our social security systems – will stunt the British state for a generation. Millions of children will grow up without a real chance to fulfil their potential. Action today is critical for all our tomorrows.

It’s crucial the government gets the child poverty strategy right. This is a landmark opportunity to set a truly transformative agenda for long-term change, but in an increasingly challenging economic climate there is every reason to worry warm words will not translate into tangible progress. Targets will provide much-needed benchmarks to track progress and keep driving action forward.

As the saying goes, we must measure what we treasure. Pledges and goodwill are one thing. Real change is another.

To deliver this change, targets must be accompanied by significant investment. We know that the most cost-effective way to spend this money, according to the Resolution Foundation, would be to increase social security allowances. Ending the two-child limit and benefit cap would alone lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty.

The government must show the British people it is taking poverty seriously by accepting accountability for progress. This means clear, ambitious targets which are set against the child poverty strategy at the time of its publication.

Lord Bird MBE, crossbench peer and Big Issue founder

Joseph Buttle, End Child Poverty Coalition, Chair and Buttle UK, CEO

Paul Cheal, Big Issue Group, CEO

Anna Feuchtwang, National Children’s Bureau, CEO

Alison Garnham, Child Poverty Action Group, CEO

Baroness Lister CBE, FBA, Labour peer, Honorary President of the Child Poverty Action Group and Professor of Social Policy, Loughborough University

Lynn Perry MBE, Barnardo’s, CEO

Dani Adams, Baby Bank Alliance, Executive Lead

Yasmine Ahmed, Human Rights Watch, UK Director

Craig Anderson, Reuse Network, CEO

Fiona Ashcroft, Alder Hay Children’s Charity, Chief Executive

Paul Atherton FRSA, filmmaker

Helen Barnard, Trussell, Director of Policy & Research

Sian Berry MP, Green Party

Kirsty Blackman MP, SNP

Claire Burns, Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care & Protection, Director

Lord Cashman, non-affiliated peer and actor

Baroness Chakrabarti CBE, PC, Labour peer

Heidi Chow, Debt Justice, Chief Executive

Ellie Chowns MP, Green Party

Jen Clark, Amnesty UK, Economic Social & Cultural Rights Lead

Emilia Clarke MBE, actress and co-founder of SameYou

George Clarke, architect, television presenter and Big Issue ambassador

Sara Cowan, Scottish Women’s Budget Group, Director

Carla Denyer MP, Green Party

Martin Dorchester, includem, Chief Executive

Neil Duncan-Jordan MP, Labour Party

Alex Easton MP, Independent Unionist

Leigh Elliott, Children North East, Chief Executive

Andy Elvin, The Adolescent and Children’s Trust, CEO

Beth Farhat, North East Child Poverty Commission, Chair

Ben Gilchrist, Caritas Shrewsbury, CEO

Sabine Goodwin, Independent Food Aid Network

Katherine Hill, 4in10 London’s Child Poverty Network, Director

Peter Holbrook CBE, Social Enterprise UK, Group Chief Executive

Kim Johnson MP, Labour Party

Louise Johns-Shepherd, The Kids Network, Chief Executive

Jenny Knott, The People Equity Fund, Chief Executive

Beth Kume-Holland, Patchwork Hub, CEO

Alan Markey, National Association of Welfare Rights Advisers, Chair

Josephine McCartney, The Childhood Trust, Chief Executive

Rob McDowall, Welfare Scotland, Chair

John McGowan, Social Workers Union, General Secretary

Jess McQuail, JustFair, Director

Rotimi Merriman-Johnson DipFA, financial educator, influencer and Big Issue ambassador

Iqbal Mohamed MP, Independent

Tom Morrison MP, Liberal Democrats

Lord Mott OBE, Conservative peer

Patrick O’Dowd, Caritas Salford, Director

Alya Ozmen, Z2K, Director of Policy and Engagement

Chris Packham CBE, broadcaster, author and Big Issue ambassador

Sarah Pugh, Whizz Kidz, Chief Executive

Liam Purcell, Church Action on Poverty, Chief Executive

Adrian Ramsay MP, Green Party

Joanna Read, Bow FoodBank, Executive Director

Sarah Ronan, Early Education and Childcare Coalition, Chief Executive

Mark Rowland, Mental Health Foundation, Chief Executive

Mark Russell, The Children’s Society, Chief Executive

Sandeep Sachdeva, Safe in India Foundation, Founder & CEO

Peter Stefanovic, Campaign for Social Justice, CEO

Dr Mary-Ann Stephens, UK Women’s Budget Group, Director

Lorna Tucker, director and Big Issue ambassador

Kwajo Tweneboa, housing campaigner and Big Issue ambassador

Vasim Ul Haq MBE, Thames Reach, Vice Chair of Board of Trustees

Baroness Watkins, crossbench peer and deputy vice president, Plymouth University

Graham Whitham, Resolve Poverty, Chief Executive Officer

Rose Williams, actor and Big Issue ambassador

Jo Wittams, Equality Trust, Co-Executive Director

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

Reader-funded since 1991 – Big Issue brings you trustworthy journalism that drives real change.

Every day, our journalists dig deeper, speaking up for those society overlooks.

Could you help us keep doing this vital work? Support our journalism from £5 a month.