Child Poverty can be eradicated if we stop the poor paying more

Commenting on the new Joseph Rowntree Foundation report, 'The impact of benefit and tax uprating on incomes and poverty', Child Poverty Action Group's Head of Policy, Paul Dornan, said: "The Government has been running up the down escalator to keep their promise to end child poverty. It's time to end years of falling benefit values and high tax burdens for the poorest. Our economy must have protection against child poverty built into it - and it must be built to last.

"For years governments have found that an easy way to get hold of a little more spending money each year is to leave the poorest falling further and further behind. But it costs more in the long run because greater poverty means more health problems, more disability, more educational failure and more social division.

"Ministers must step up and deliver on their new child poverty report's commitment to ensure families who cannot work have the financial support to lift them out of poverty. Annual benefit increases at least in line with rising living standards are essential if this is to be achieved."