The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) said that although Labour has now made a 'substantial reduction' in child poverty, it should have started earlier and proceeded faster. Its report, Child Poverty - An End In Sight?, defines poverty as the condition of households with incomes less than half the national average after housing costs and predicts that more than three million children will remain in poverty when the general election is held.
The report said that the UK has one of the highest rates of child poverty among industrialised countries and it increased more than in almost any country between the early 1980s and the mid-1990s. Around 2.4 million children were found to go without two or more necessities such as a warm, waterproof coat or a properly fitting pair of shoes. One in six families fell into poverty as the result of the birth of a child.
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