CHILD POVERTY

"The true hardships of the one in three children in Britain who live in poverty are exposed in a new report revealing that a quarter of the country's poorest households cannot afford to put a daily hot meal on the table for every family member. The ground-breaking report, Living With Hardship 24/7, which was published yesterday by the child poverty charity.
The Frank Buttle Trust, takes an in-depth look at the experiences of families surviving in low-income households, exposing details of their daily struggles that would not look out of place in a developing country. The study found that children as young as five were so keenly aware of their parents' financial difficulties that they gave back money to help support the household. The children surveyed were from 70 families across the country with an income of less than £11,000. Almost half of the parents interviewed said they could not afford basic toys or sports equipment for their children, and a third did not have enough money to buy the winter clothes their offspring needed. Some children said they did not ask for Christmas presents for fear of adding to their parents' burden." (Independent on Sunday, 18 November)
This is after years of a Labour government that promised to abolish child poverty in Britain. In a foreword to the report Gordon Brown admits .."there are still 2.8 million children living in poverty in the UK today – that is one in three children. A great deal more needs to be done." RD