Most top-tier local authorities in England have not yet produced a child poverty strategy, despite being required to do so under the Child Poverty Act 2010, a study has found.

The survey was carried out by a children’s charity, 4Children.

Key findings

• 87 out of 152 authorities do not have a fully complete and published strategy in place.
• Around half of those (34) have not even completed a child poverty needs assessment for their area.
• It is not only relatively wealthy areas that are at fault – 4 out of the 10 most deprived boroughs do not have a complete and published strategy in place.

The charity points out that publishing a strategy is more than a technical requirement – it shows that the local authority has taken the necessary first steps towards identifying who is most in need of support, and how the council can provide it. Without a strategy, it is not clear that the local authority has any plans to tackle child poverty in the area whatsoever and, in many cases, it may show that poverty reduction is not a council priority.

Source: Child Poverty: Where Are we Now?, 4Children

Link: Report