Child poverty will be made worse by council funding cuts, warns TUC

date: 11 June 2013

embargo: 00:01 hours 12 June 2013

Commenting on polling published today (Wednesday) by the Campaign to End Child Poverty, which shows that nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of voters think the government is falling short in its efforts to end child poverty, TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said:

'The general public are right - ministers should be doing more to end child poverty.

However, instead of helping to improve living standards in deprived areas, the government is taking a huge axe to vital benefits and is slashing funding for local support services.

'Unless the government pulls back from its self-defeating austerity programme child poverty will become even more entrenched in deprived parts of the country.

'Children who grow-up in poverty are far less likely to do well at school or find long-term employment. The UK simply cannot afford for any more of its youngsters to be consigned to the scrapheap of inactivity.'

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- The TUC is a member of the Campaign to End Child Poverty campaign

- The End Child Poverty campaign is made up of more than 150 organisations including children's charities, child welfare organisations, social justice groups, faith groups, and trade unions united in the vision ending child poverty.

- The TUC's campaign plan can be downloaded from www.tuc.org.uk/campaignplan

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk

- Follow the TUC on Twitter: @tucnews

Contacts:

Media enquiries:
Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248 M: 07778 158175 E: media@tuc.org.uk
Rob Holdsworth T: 020 7467 1372 M: 07717 531150 E: rholdsworth@tuc.org.uk
Alex Rossiter T: 020 7467 1337 M: 07887 572130 E: arossiter@tuc.org.uk