Child poverty

Children living in families where no one works face the highest poverty risks, but children in lone parent families, or families where only one parent is working also face significant risk. Almost half of London’s children in poverty are living in families where at least one parent is working.

The employment rates of parents in London are much lower than in the rest of the UK. In 2008 only 60 per cent of mothers in couples were in employment in London, compared to 73 per cent in the rest of the UK. There was a similar gap for lone parents: 42 per cent were working in London, compared with 55 per cent in the rest of the UK

Why is the child poverty rate so high in London?
The costs of housing, transport and childcare are higher in London. For example, families in temporary accommodation awaiting permanent social housing in London face very high rents, often over £300 a week. This is a deep poverty trap which some families from impossible to escape.

Only a quarter of jobs in London are part-time, compared to a third in rest of the UK, reducing the opportunities for parents of young children.

The high cost of living in London is not reflected in the wages of many low skilled workers. This means that wages are worth less to low income families.

Parents with English as a second language have low employment rates. 60 per cent of non-employed fathers and 40 per cent of non-employed mothers have English as a second language. Refugee, asylum seeking, gypsy and traveller families all face very high levels of disadvantage.

Poverty has a negative effect on children’s housing, health, risk of crime and accidents, education and in turn employment.  Although the majority of poor children won’t grow up to be poor, the issues associated with early poverty can increase the risk of poor outcomes, such as ill-health and unemployment, in later life. We need to eradicate child poverty in London to make sure that Londoners fulfil their potential.

London Living Wage
The Mayor is campaigning to reducing low pay in London through promotion of the London Living Wage. The plan will make sure that the low paid workers who contribute to London’s economic success, workers from cleaners to care-workers, are provided with an acceptable standard of living.

Childcare Affordability Programme
Since 2005, the London Development Agency has been supporting action to promote access to employment through the Childcare Affordability Programme. It aims to offer help to low income families, who want to access the childcare that will give them to the time to go out and work, support to pay for child care and find employment.

London Child Poverty Commission
The Mayor and London Councils set up the independent London Child Poverty Commission in 2006, to address the challenge of child poverty in London and identify solutions to help reduce and eventually eradicate it.

The commission’s work focused on four areas: employment and income, housing and mobility, mental health and children’s life chances.

It gathered examples of good practice projects and engaged with the main political parties and a wide range of statutory and voluntary sector partners. It also commissioned a wide range of research. Each year it published a monitoring report on trends in poverty indicators. The commission was supported by a Secretariat from the Greater London Authority and London Councils, with input from a wider range of staff from both organisations and from Commissioners.The commission published its legacy report in March 2010.