Child poverty in London

Children in London are more likely to grow up in poverty than children elsewhere in the UK. In fact, 37% of London's children (that's 700,000 children) live in poverty after housing costs are taken into account. London has the highest rate of child poverty of any English region, and there are as many poor children in London as in all of Scotland and Wales.

Trust for London has funded CPAG's London Campaign Manager post for three years to work across the voluntary sector and with politicians at local, regional, and national level, towards a London where no child experiences poverty. To find out more about our work get in touch with Alice Woudhuysen: awoudhuysen@cpag.org.uk

Read key facts about child poverty in London

Briefings and reports

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Tackling poverty in schools: final project report

CPAG, alongside Diane Dixon Associates, have been working with schools in London to explore the role of primary schools in tackling child poverty. This report contains an outline of the main project activities, as well as a summary of the key learning to emerge from the project with a particular focus on how to scale up this type of work in schools.

Still too poor to pay: council tax support in London 2018-19

In April 2013, the government abolished council tax benefit and replaced it with locally run council tax support schemes, accompanied by a 10 per cent cut in funding for local authorities. Since then, CPAG and Zacchaeus 2000 Trust (Z2K) have been monitoring the changes to the 33 different localised council tax support schemes in London and assessing the impact of these schemes – both on low-income Londoners and on local authorities.

Briefing Child poverty in London Council tax reduction Localisation Two child limit UK London

Pushing Back: Our take on life in poverty in London

This report has been developed by the A Different Take London panel. We are a group of children, young people and parents with experience of living on a low income, and people from Child Poverty Action Group and the University of Leeds. Between January-June 2019 we have been discussing our own experiences and priorities and talking to the people in our communities, to develop our own agenda around the most important issues affecting the lives of people in poverty and what we think should be done about them.

Benefit levels Child poverty in London Child poverty strategies Education Housing Report UK Universal credit Work and pay London

News and blogs

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London low earners hit with two-child limit on council tax support

12 March 2020

Five London boroughs and the City of London are needlessly applying a two-child limit which cuts the amount of help that working families with three or more children can receive with council tax, research by CPAG and Zacchaeus 2000 Trust (Z2K) shows.

Child poverty in London Council tax reduction Localisation Press release Two child limit UK London

Conditionality Data Gathering

12 November 2019

Information is needed from advice workers about the extent to which claimant commitments are tailored to take account of their clients' circumstances.

News UK England Wales London

Pushing back: A take on life in poverty in London

18 October 2019

A group of children, young people and parents with experience of living in a low income in London, have this week launched a new report, Pushing back: Our take on life in poverty in London. The group, known as the ‘A Different Take’, worked with CPAG and the University of Leeds between January and June 2019, to discuss their experiences of living on a low income and to develop their own agenda and solutions. In this blog post, 15-year-old Londoner Beatrice Franks reports on her experience.

Blog Child poverty in London Education Housing UK London

London Child Poverty Alliance

Child Poverty Action Group provide the secretariat for the London Child Poverty Alliance. The LCPA is a coalition of charities committed to tackling the high levels of poverty in the capital.

Family Friendly London - Manifesto for the next Mayor of London (2016)
Response to the Child Poverty Strategy Consultation
Ten Ideas for Local Authorities Before the 2014 local elections, the alliance produced 10 actions councils could take to support families and reduce poverty
2012 Mayoral Election: we produced a manifesto and ran hustings to promote family friendly policies to mayoral candidates

We are grateful to Trust for London for funding our London campaign.

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