Bishop argues moral case to tackle poverty

GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSALS ARE 'WELCOME BUT LACK AMBITION'

- By STAFF REPORTER

STEPS to tackle child poverty are welcome but lacking ambition, the Bishop of Leicester says.

The Rt Rev Martyn Snow, pictured, the Church's lead bishop for child poverty issues, said: "I welcome the government's commitment to lifting children out of poverty and the important steps included in the Child Poverty Strategy.

"Expanding family hubs, improving access to childcare and providing targeted support to families in temporary accommodation will make a meaningful difference to many families.

"Ending the two-child limit on means-tested benefits will certainly help hundreds of thousands of children have a fairer start in life.

"However, while these measures are positive, the strategy as a whole lacks the ambition needed to reverse a decade of rising child poverty.

"Much of what has been announced had already been trailed in earlier budgets or policy papers, and the new commitments fall short of the scale of the challenge.

"Even with these reforms, projected poverty levels are likely to remain far higher than they were a generation ago.

"Child poverty carries immense costs - to the families affected, to the public purse and to our common life together.