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February 3 2010

Mark Isherwood tabled a motion expressing concern that Wales is suf

fering the highest rate of children living in severe poverty in the UK, where 96,000 Welsh children exist without the basic necessities in life. (Severe poverty is defined as living on less than £12,220 a year for a couple with one child).

Mr Isherwood stressed that Save the Children have said efforts to reduce child poverty – with Government targets to eradicate it by 2020 – had not only stalled but ‘slid into reverse’ and severe poverty had been rising during 4 years of economic boom before recession hit in 2008.

“Some 13% of the UK’s children live in families earning 50% below the average UK inc

ome. But that rises to 15% in Wales,” said Mr Isherwood.

“The rise in the number of children living in severe poverty has occurred against a backdrop of rising levels of overall child poverty.  

"The percentage of children living in child poverty is higher in Wales than any other UK nation.  

“UK Government figures show a 3% increase in average poverty risk levels in Wales over the last three years.  In Wales, 32% of children now live in poverty. This means that 192,000 children in Wales face living in a home which has less than 60% of the median UK household income.”

The AM referred to the Joseph Rowntree report which found around 60% of children in poverty live in a household where no-one works, and stated ‘despite the importance of employment to eradicating child poverty, welfare-to-work programmes have not been a prominent feature in the child poverty strategy in Wales’. 

Mr Isherwood said: “We need to remove the barriers to flexible and good quality employment, including family friendly working in public and private sectors – supporting benefit advice and take up for all vulnerable groups and working with the UK Government to remove barriers, including housing benefit, in the tax and benefit system.”   

He added that measures to eradicate child poverty must adequately address the energy and housing needs of families with children.

Mr Isherwood highlighted the flaws of the Flying Start and Communities First programmes stating: “It is time to move on and to be a bit more flexible, so that we move away from the system in which one family on one side of the street can access services, support and free childcare, but a family across the street that is in a worse financial situation cannot.”

He added: “The Joseph Rowntree Foundation expressed concerns about the Children and Families Measure’s ability to address child poverty if the strategy was to rely entirely on the Cymorth and Flying Start programmes.

“They said that research suggested there are more children in poverty living outside the areas designated as disadvantaged than inside them.”

Welsh Conservatives therefore supported the Liberal Democrat amendment that in order to eradicate child poverty, the Welsh Assembly Government must move away from schemes based on geographical areas, and should focus on children in all parts of Wales.