In 1999, Tony Blair committed the Government to work for an end to child poverty by 2020.  The aim was to ensure that every child gets the best possible start in life, enjoys a fulfilling childhood and has the opportunities to flourish.  Ten years on, there has been good progress.  But more needs to be done to achieve the 2020 target.  So, a fortnight ago, I presented a Government bill in the House of Commons, making the 2020 target legally binding.

The background to Tony Blair’s promise was the steep rise in child poverty under the previous Government.  The level had more than doubled in the twenty years since Mrs Thatcher was elected, to the highest rate in Europe.  When Tony Blair made his promise, there were 3.4 million children in Britain living in households whose income was below 60% of average income – the most common definition of “living below the poverty line”.  On the most recent figures, that number is down to 2.9 million.  It is estimated that changes made in the last year or so will reduce the number to about 2.3 million by 2010.

That progress has been the result of far-reaching measures like introducing tax credits, and rises in child benefit.  But we need to do more still in the next decade to meet the 2020 target.  That is the reason for the new bill.

It would be impossible to ensure no child ever lived in a household with low income.  Instead, the bill requires the Government to ensure four targets are met by 2020 – and they must all be met.  First: the number of children in households with incomes below 60% of the average must be less than 10% of the total number of children.  That would put Britain on a par with the best achieved by any European country.  When all the improvements made so far have taken full effect, almost 20% of children will still be below the line.  So reducing the number below 10% will be a big task. 

Second, the number of children suffering “material deprivation” must be less than 5%.  The third target is about “absolute poverty” – that is, taking no account of rising incomes.  The fourth target relates to “persistent poverty”, where children are in households with low incomes year after year.

Next, the bill requires the Government of the day to set out a child poverty strategy explaining how the four targets are to be met, and to update the strategy every three years.  It requires the Government to publish annual progress reports, and to set up a Child Poverty Commission to provide advice.  And it imposes a duty on local councils to work with other authorities – like primary care trusts, jobcentres and the police – to tackle child poverty in their area.

The bill will be debated in Parliament for the first time next Monday.  I hope it will be a big step in giving many children in Newham a brighter future.