Child Poverty Motion

Members of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council have agreed to write to the Minister for Communities to immediately convene a child poverty task force to support the reduction of child poverty both in the short term and over the next 10 year.
 
The motion, which was brought to the meeting of full Council on Monday evening (25 January 2021), was proposed by Deputy Mayor Councillor Noreen McClelland and seconded by Alderman Thomas Burns.
 
“This Council notes with alarm the Department of Communities’ Family
Resources Survey 2018/2019 which show that 122,000 children in Northern
Ireland live in relative poverty (24% of children) with 109,000 of those living in absolute poverty and expresses deep concern that these figures have increased significantly since the previous year and have not improved at all in the last five years.
 
The rise of the Universal Credit claimant count and expected end of the furlough scheme could see a further increase in these numbers, with the two-child tax credit rule and benefit cap only adding to the pressure on families with children.
 
This Council calls on the Minister for Communities to immediately convene a child poverty task force, to set out how her department will reduce child poverty by next year and over the next decade.”
 
Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Jim Montgomery said; “

It is completely unacceptable that anyone should live in relative poverty but particularly our children who are vulnerable. Families all across Northern Ireland have felt the impact of Covid, the illness, its restrictions, the economic impacts of furlough and job losses on top of the pressures of home schooling. We must take action to look after our children.”