A report by the London Child Poverty Commission has identified “greater access to affordable childcare and more well-paid flexible job opportunities for parents” as essential to reducing child poverty in the capital.
The Commission, jointly established by the Mayor of London and London Councils, also says local and regional authorities will need to focus efforts on families living in social housing, where 68 per cent of children are in poverty in London.
Welcoming the report Mayor Ken Livingstone said the commission had “worked diligently in examining the root problems and issues that give London the highest rate of child poverty in the UK.”
“If we really are serious in our aims we need to consider policies to increase earnings to get more London parents into work and reform of the child tax credit and child benefit systems so that they lift more families out of poverty.”
London Child Poverty Commission chair Carey Oppenheim said the report “shows that tackling child poverty in London means action at all levels of government and engagement from all sectors – employers, unions and the voluntary sector.”
Councillor James Kempton from London Councils said the capital’s Boroughs would “want to learn from this report about how they might deliver services and support differently.”
“We will be sharing our growing expertise in the area with other councils and agencies and feeding this into the Commission’s final recommendations.”
