2.8 million children in relative poverty ..it has gone up for the first time in 6 years

[zippitippitoes]

...how can the government halve the figure by 2010 as per their traget?

What does the term "relative poverty" actually mean?

In any event, if more children are living in poor conditions is has to be bad. Does the report show why this is happenning?

They can start by maybe considering that this whole Government by Target bollocks is a crock.

Until they make some real changes to the housing system here, instead of just paying lip service to the green lobby, it'll never happen.

I wondered about relative poverty too

presumably it means with regard to a mean figure that is deemed acceptable

I think absolute poverty is the differentiation iyswim

have found some definitions here

I think the important part is that despite trying to get it down it has gone up

but could that also be that the relative point has moved up?

Relative poverty is 60% less than average income (but not sure what that is). Shocking that our children never see this - we all assume we're just scraping by when there must be some areas where things are awful.

'when there must be some areas where things are awful. '

Yes, our council likes to hide them on the outskirts of town, as if that's going to convince everywhere they don't exist.

It doesn't.

not sure how the statistics nwork really as if you improve things for people then the average moves up too

but how can all these children get a better deal? especially when those who are above the avewrage are often so resnetful of help being directed to them?

Equality in housing might be a start, zippi.

I mean, look what happens when you're born into a poverty-striken area.

You go to a shite school, because all the good ones are over-subscribed and you're not in the catchment area, or your family can't afford the transport costs to get you there, or your siblings go to the closest school so you have to, too.

And then you see the result of that.

You live in a cramped, damp-ridden flat with no safe to play.

Well, we all know the social effects of that.

But it's all a waste of breath, because NO ONE'S done FA about it because a minority are getting rich off the 'boom'. A powerful minority.

Children aren't profitable in a capitalist environment, and are generally treated as such.

'but how can all these children get a better deal? especially when those who are above the avewrage are often so resnetful of help being directed to them?'

The 'help' is often patronising and next to useless.

Can you handout hope to someone? Can you handout real choices to someone - in terms of education, a safe place to live that's actually affordable, things like that?

You know that old saying, 'Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime'?

Well, there you go.

All the 'gentrification', let's tart up the gutter, let's throw money at it and look away won't change a thing when the poor continue to be ostrasiced and isolated by inequalities in housing.

I wasn't very clear I mmeant

person on x income who is above the poverty level resents those who don't have anything getting anything or even it seems going to the same schools or having more attention of any kind such as intervention or positive programmes

its a vicious circle thatll never be solved by money (being thrown at it)