New government launches child poverty taskforce
The new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has announced a new Child Poverty Unit in the Cabinet Office that will be lead jointly by the Work & Pensions Secretary and the Education Secretary.
Recognising the wide-ranging causes of child poverty, Secretaries of State from across government will take part in this work, with the first meeting set to take place in the coming weeks.
In the immediate term, the taskforce is expected to consider how we can use levers related to household income as well as employment, housing, children’s health, childcare and education to improve children’s experiences and chances at life.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said “For too long children have been left behind, and no decisive action has been taken to address the root causes of poverty. This is completely unacceptable - no child should be left hungry, cold or have their future held back.
That’s why we’re prioritising work on an ambitious child poverty strategy and my ministers will leave no stone unturned to give every child the very best start at life.”
Work and Pensions Secretary. Liz Kendall, has already met with leading organisations including Save the Children, Action for Children, Barnados, TUC, End Child Poverty Coalition, Resolution Foundation and UNICEF to invite their views on how they can shape the strategy.
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Published on 19th July 2024