Catholic leaders urge government to act on growing child poverty

A new report, Paying the Price, by Action for Children, shows that 4.3 million children are currently facing poverty with the danger of this number rising significantly by 2030.

The Bishop of Salford John Arnold has joined 34 faith leaders in calling on government to “ensure that no child in the UK is held back by poverty” as it prepares its upcoming child poverty strategy. 

Bishop Arnold joined faith leaders from the UK’s major religious traditions – Christian, Jewish, Sikh, Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist – in an open letter to the ministerial child poverty taskforce co-chairs, education secretary, Bridget Phillipson and work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall.

The leaders highlighted the findings of a new report, Paying the Price, by Action for Children, which shows that 4.3 million children are currently facing poverty with the danger of this number rising significantly by 2030.

“We write to you as faith leaders from communities across the UK, to encourage you to be bold and ambitious in your upcoming child poverty strategy,” they write.

“We are hopeful that the child poverty strategy could be a turning point for the communities we serve, and we are ready to work in partnership with people of goodwill across society to ensure that every child has the start in life they deserve.”

Signatories to the letter include former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and Revd Lynn Green, general secretary of the Baptist Union. The leaders urge the government to demonstrate “that you match the commitment and ambition of our communities and strive to ensure that no child in the UK is held back by poverty”. 

They add: “We believe there is an urgent moral imperative to prioritise policies that ensure that every child, whatever their background, has the best possible chance to thrive.” 

The letter was coordinated by the Joint Public Issues Team of The Baptist Union of GB, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church. It is signed by 35 senior faith leaders from all the major faith traditions represented in the UK, including representatives of the Catholic Church, Baptist Union, Methodist and United Reformed Churches, Quakers and the Church of Scotland.

Signatories highlights that, currently, 4.3 million children – three in 10 children in the UK – are living in poverty, and without further action a further 400,000 are likely to be pulled into poverty by the end of the decade.

The letter says: “While we come from different faith traditions, we share a belief that working to end poverty should be a hallmark of any decent, compassionate society. We also believe that transformational change is possible.”

Caritas Salford, a Catholic charity which supports people experiencing homelessness, poverty, isolation and discrimination in Greater Manchester and Lancashire, urged the Government to consider those with disabilities in its child poverty strategy, saying: “With the government (preparing) a new child poverty strategy, it’s essential that they consider these reforms in the context of the disproportionate risk of experiencing poverty faced by children living in families where a person has disability. When considering how to effectively address child poverty, it is counterproductive to cut the incomes of so many families.”

Caritas Salford also urged the Government to remember “those with particular vulnerabilities” as it emerged that between £5bn and £6bn would be removed from the welfare bill via cuts to disability benefits.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s spring statement, Caritas Salford said: “We strongly believe that society must protect those who may have particular vulnerabilities. They should not be the first to suffer when the Government says it needs to make cuts.”

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