Charity warns cuts could cause more child poverty
The Government says it will eradicate child poverty by 2020, but can they do that in an era of cuts?
The last government made some bold pledges on child poverty.
It would be halved by 2010, eliminated by 2020.
But although genuine progress was made in Labour's first two terms, everything rather slid away in the third, and (the figures for 2010 still haven't been released).
Now the new government has renewed that second pledge to eliminate child poverty within nine years.
But what chance have they got of achieving that in a climate of cuts and retrenchment?
After all, Labour failed to reach its targets at a time when spending was relatively high.
It's an issue which is very important to our region.
There are a range of statistics, but broadly one in four children in the North East are regarded as living below the poverty line.
That figure rises to one in three in areas like Middlesbrough and Newcastle.
Only London has higher rates in England.
One organisation is warning that unless the Government rethinks its cuts, the situation will only get worse.
Barnardo's says council cuts will damage its efforts to help children and families.
says it's projects all across the region are facing problems - often because of cuts in council grants.
It tries to support the most vulnerable young people and families and .
It's even concerned that projects which aim to get young people out of prostitution will be hit.
Barnardo's fears a short-term concentration on cuts will actually cost more in the long-term by making more families reliant on the state.
Of course, that's a charge the Government denies.
It says it has concentrated on measures which will lift people out of poverty.
The Coalition says the lifting of the basic tax threshold, the pupil premium, and the reform of the welfare system are all designed to lift people out of poverty.
And in the long term, it believes the best way of tackling poverty is to put the economy on a sound footing.
Of course, with the economy shrinking in the last quarter, this isn't the best week to make that argument.
And Labour will be seeking to highlight every cut that hits the most vulnerable.
You can watch the Politics Show debate the issue at 12pm this Sunday on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳1.
I'm Richard Moss, the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s Political Editor for the North East and Cumbria. Welcome to my irreverent - but hopefully insightful - northern take on reporting politics for Look North and the Politics Show.
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