Child poverty measures will not tell full story

This week the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Iain Duncan Smith, announced plans to revisit how the government measures Child Poverty.

In response to the proposals, Simon Hopkins, Chief Executive of Turn2us, commented:
 
“This week’s announcement from Iain Duncan Smith will no doubt prompt a wider debate surrounding how poverty is identified and tackled in the UK. We keep an open mind regarding any action that would help further address the root causes of child poverty, however we must not allow a debate about statistics divert us from the task in hand.

“The historical measure of poverty as 60% of median income is by its very nature relative, but it is one of a range of measures that we use to target our practical support more effectively. The proposed new benchmarks will no doubt offer additional insight, but we do not believe they will tell the full story. The very fact that we are having this discussion highlights this as an issue the Government must continue to address, as well working with charities such as ourselves to provide assistance where we can.”

For further information or comments, please contact: Emma Lamberton

Date of publication: 3 July 2015