Senior faith leaders from across the country have joined forces in an urgent call for the government to be 'bold and ambitious' in its forthcoming Child Poverty Strategy.
The call is shared in an open letter to the co-chairs of the Ministerial Child Poverty Taskforce, Bridget Philipson, Secretary of State for Education, and Liz Kendall, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
The letter has been signed by 35 faith leaders from all six of the major faith traditions in the UK - Anglican, Jewish, Sikh, Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist. Former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and the Bishop of Leicester, Rt Rev Martyn Snow are among the signatories.
Currently three in every 10 (4.3 million) children in the UK are living in poverty and without further action a further 400,000 are likely to be pulled into poverty by the end of the decade. The Prime Minister promised during the last election that his government would introduce an ambitious plan to lift ‘millions’ of children out of poverty.
The letter states: “While we come from different faith traditions, we share a belief that working to end poverty should be a hallmark of any decent, compassionate society. We also believe that transformational change is possible. We are hopeful that the Child Poverty Strategy could be a turning point for the communities we serve, and we are ready to work in partnership with people of goodwill across society to ensure that every child has the start in life they deserve. We anticipate your strategy and pray that it will rise to the challenges we face.”
The letter highlights the findings from ‘Paying the Price’, a new report from the Methodist founded charity Action for Children, which sets out a comprehensive range of measures that would lift 1.2 million children out of poverty by 2030. These measures include action to reform and invest in a more effective social security system, and steps to boost social housing and improve opportunities for income from employment.
Paul Morrison who is Policy Adviser for the Methodist Church, told Premier that it's vital the two-child limit benefit cap is scrapped: "Just removing that one rule would mean that by the end of the decade, 600,000 children would be removed from poverty. It's an unjust poverty and it should go. There are lots of things that should happen, but any credible strategy has to include that."
Rev Helen Cameron, President of the Methodist Conference, said: “The levels of child poverty we are seeing in communities across the UK cannot be acceptable. With communities trying to pick up the pieces and support families who are struggling, it’s time for the government to step up too. We know it is possible to significantly reduce child poverty, and a social security system that enables families to afford the essentials will be a central pillar. The government must demonstrate that tackling poverty is a priority and make ambitious choices. We pray that the government’s strategy will rise to the challenges we face.”
The Bishop of Leicester, Rt Rev Martyn Snow, who is the Church of England’s lead on poverty, said: “Every child is a precious gift and should have the opportunity to flourish. Yet the scourge of poverty we see in our country today has profound implications on their health, wellbeing and life chances. Churches will continue to play their part in supporting children and their families experiencing hardship, meeting need where we find it, and advocating for policies which address structural challenges. An ambitious child poverty strategy would make a significant difference in the communities we live in and among.”
The government's Child Poverty Strategy is set to be published in the Spring.