Silence on child poverty from potential Conservative Party leaders - Jayne Dowle

Say what you like about ‘New Labour’, but 25 years ago maximising the life chances of the youngest generation was at the very core of Tony Blair’s successful manifesto. The Sure Start programme, launched in 1998 and overseen by the now-defunct Department for Children, Schools and Families, focused on setting up Sure Start schemes offering guidance to parents in deprived areas.

Described by Blair himself as “one of New Labour’s greatest achievements”, it was of enormous benefit, as I know at first-hand. When my children were small, we often went along to take part in Sure Start activities in Barnsley and enjoyed the non-judgmental camaraderie between support workers and families.

And then under the austerity cuts of the David Cameron government, the programme was scaled back, focusing on just a few centres at the last count. Fast forward to 2022, and in the Government’s Levelling Up strategy, there isn’t even a mention, points out Joseph Howes, chair of the End Child Poverty Coalition.

The group asked Loughborough University to carry out new research, showing that more than a third (33 per cent) of children in our region are defined to be living in poverty according to official government statistics. That’s way above the national average of 27 per cent and the third worst in the UK behind only London and the West Midlands.

“It remains incredibly worrying that at a moment like this there is nothing in the Government’s Levelling Up strategy on this issue,” says Howes. “I just don’t understand this, we must see a national child poverty strategy created, it is heart-breaking that there isn’t one when we can see evidence that shows change really is possible.”

Labour really does need to pitch in and become far more vociferous on child poverty, but in Opposition what the party could actually achieve is limited. More importantly, and urgently, we need to hear what the next Prime Minister and leader of the Tory party has to say on the matter. So far, there has been a resounding silence on child poverty from the contenders jostling for position.

Whilst their attention is caught up with Westminster loyalties, alliances and power-grabs, too many of our children are being left behind in homes where debts are piling up, without food in the fridge or clothes to wear. Any Prime Minister worth the name should surely address this as an absolute priority.

Whilst no-one expects a magic wand, and rolling out policy takes not only time, but Parliamentary agreement and civil service enactment, it would be heartening to know that at least one of the candidates for the highest office in the land had thought for someone other than themselves. And this new research proves the point that when government intervention does happen, it works.

However, there are now concerns that former Chancellor Sunak’s decision to remove the uplift will show yet further increase in child poverty when the statistics for 2021/22 are released next year. And on top of this, there’s the stagnant wages, and the ongoing impact of fast-rising inflation on food prices and rising costs of fuel, gas and electricity devastating household budgets to take into account, which will hit households with no money hardest of all.

Furthermore, despite the overall UK-wide annual fall in child poverty, research is showing a rise in four regions, Yorkshire, the North-East, the East of England and Wales.

All of these points to only one thing, and that is children can no longer be seen and not heard in a country which is supposedly committed to a programme of ‘levelling-up’.

If the runners and riders for Prime Minister want their promises to unite the country to be taken seriously, they m