The London Child Poverty Commission

The London Child Poverty Commission came to a close in 2010. Over the four years of its existence, the Commission was supported by the Mayor of London and London Councils to identify ways to reduce and eventually eliminate child poverty in London.

London Child Poverty Commission Legacy Report

The London Child Poverty Commission has called for more to be done to help more than 600,000 London children who are living below the poverty line.

The London Child Poverty Commission – Legacy Report, published in spring 2010, found that while much progress has been made in tackling child poverty in the capital, far too many young people and their families are still blighted by poverty.

The report recognises that the economic situation has changed significantly since the Commission was established in 2006, with public spending set to be squeezed. However, the Commission warns that it is crucial that resources are not diverted from reducing child poverty, as a failure to tackle this problem at an early stage will prove far more costly in the long term.

Monitoring Child Poverty

As an adjunct to the Commission’s legacy report, this report updates 14 indicators showing changes in rates of child poverty and related areas, ranging from parents’ employment rates to attainment in GCSEs, and shows how different groups of London children are affected. As noted in previous reports, after an initial improvement in child poverty rates up to 2000, there has been no consistent improvement in London since then. On the other hand, there has been a welcome improvement in some other indicators, which could augur well for the future, including educational attainment and health.