Nursery World - Child poverty data disputed

A leading campaigning children's charity clashed with the Government last week over claims made by Labour at the last election that more than a million children had been taken out of poverty during its first term of office, when official figures now show the true number to be less than half of that. The figures, the Households Below Average Income Statistics, published last week by the Office for National Statistics, show that in 2000-01, 3.9 million children were in poverty, a fall of 500,000 since 1996-97. But the Government had claimed to have lifted 1.2 million children out of relative income poverty during its first term of office.

The figures, the Households Below Average Income Statistics, published last week by the Office for National Statistics, show that in 2000-01, 3.9 million children were in poverty, a fall of 500,000 since 1996-97. But the Government had claimed to have lifted 1.2 million children out of relative income poverty during its first term of office.

The Child Poverty Action Group described the figures as 'deeply depressing'

and criticised the Government for presenting as a fact a forecast of a reduction in the number of children living in poverty. CPAG director Martin Barnes said the Government was wrong to have done so and added, 'When Tony Blair pledged to eradicate child poverty the Government firmly nailed its colours to the Household Below Average Incomes measure. If it now moves the goalposts in using a different measure of poverty, it risks losing credibility.'

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