UK children living in poverty increases

Figures showing a 200,000 rise in UK children living in relative poverty last year have been described as a "moral disgrace" by Barnardo's.

The children's charity said ministers were a long way from honouring a pledge to halve child poverty by 2010.

In 2005-6 3.8m children were in poverty - in homes on less than 60% of average income including housing costs.

In the previous year the number of children living in relative poverty with housing costs taken into account was 3.6m.

With housing costs not deducted from incomes the number of children living below the relative poverty line was 2.8m, up from 2.7m in the year before.

The increases are the first recorded in six years; since 1998/99, 600,000 children have been lifted out of relative poverty.

But to reach their stated targets, ministers must now help lift a further 1.1 million children above the poverty line by 2010 - or 1.6 million after housing costs are included.

Barnardo's chief executive Martin Narey said: "This is a moral disgrace. In 1999, we were all excited by the Government's determination to eradicate child poverty and, on the way, to halve it by 2010.

"It is now clear that what they meant was that they intended, not to halve child poverty by 2010, but to reduce it a bit."

Tony Blair's government hopes the launch of a new £150m child poverty strategy, which includes a programme to get parents into employment, will help hit its target.

Save the Children's UK director Colette Marshall said: "This vital target is slipping dangerously out of reach.

"It is only too clear that Gordon Brown's Budget announcements last week will not be enough to get the government back on track.

"We must now see a sense of urgency from the government to make the target achievable."