News

Proposals to change the measure of child poverty have been announced by the government after it failed to fulfil its pledge to reduce the figure by a million in its first term (see news analysis, page 20, 25 April).

Children are considered to be living in poverty if they are in households with incomes below 60 per cent of the median average after housing costs. Alternative methods of tracking the progress in tackling child poverty were proposed in a consultation document launched by Alistair Darling, the secretary of state for work and pensions, last week.

"The challenge is to find the right balance between the desire for clarity, which argues for one headline indicator; and comprehensiveness, which argues for a broad range of indicators," he said. There are four options.

Option one: continuing the headline indicators of low income, "worklessness", educational attainment, health inequalities and housing standards.

Option two: a child poverty index created by weighting each of the above individual indicators.

Option three: calculated by combining relative low income and material deprivation.

Option four: a core set of low income and "consistent poverty" indicators.

Meanwhile, 90 per cent of the population would be willing to help fight child poverty, if asked by a charity, according to new research.

A Mori poll of 2,095 adults for Save the Children Week found that one in five would take an active part in a campaign, give their time or money, sign a petition or lobby their MP.

- Poverty measure consultation responses must be received by July 10. Go to www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations/2002.   See www.beatpoverty.org for more on Mori poll.