Church Charity in Poverty Measure Call

Wednesday February 17

Church Action on Poverty (CAP) has renewed its call on the Government to continue measuring the number of families living in poverty.

As part of the Welfare Reform Bill currently passing through the UK Parliament, the Government wishes to stop assessing poverty by measures such as household income. Instead, it will report on whether a child’s parents are working and their academic achievement.

However, CAP and other charities argue that these are poor measures of poverty, as two thirds of children living in poverty are in working households.

Writing last week for the CAP website, Paul Morrison, Policy Adviser for the Methodist Church, said: “Counting the number of families currently living in poverty will not cost the Government money (the Government has already promised to keep the Households Below Average Incomes survey, which gathers the necessary information). It will not prevent the Government from introducing its new ‘life chance measures’. It will not stop the Government tackling poverty in the way it sees fit.

“It will simply ensure that we get a good estimate of how many families in the UK have trouble making ends meet.”

The Welfare Reform and Work Bill is in its final stages in Parliament. MPs are due to debate amendments made by the Lords next Tuesday, February 23.

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