The Isle of Wight Council has reaffirmed its commitment to reducing child poverty on the Island.
In light of a 63% increase in the number of children eligible for free school meals on the Island in the last 4 years — a marker used to gauge child poverty — Councillor Michael Lilley called on the council to commit to developing a strategy to address the issue.
Councillor Lilley first raised the matter in January 2019 and bought it back for further debate on Wednesday asking the authority to set specific targets and outcomes to reduce child poverty by 2028.
He said nearly a third of Island children are living in poverty, 10% up from previous estimates, and it was not acceptable.
Councillor Lilley said it was totally unacceptable for children to go to sleep at night hungry nor have the same opportunities as others and the authority had to make this a priority. He said there were pockets of innovation and good practice on the Island but the authority had to accelerate initiatives. Quoting Nelson Mandela, Councillor Lilley said poverty was manmade and can be removed by the actions of humans.
Councillors unanimously supported the motion and wanted to see it discussed at a children’s services, education and skill policy committee.
Cabinet member for children’s services, Councillor Debbie Andre, assured members were prioritising children and their future but I do agree we can do more.
She said:
“We all have to take ownership and responsibility for this across the council. I look forward to developing a strong strategy to move forward and to be assured we are doing everything we can to irradicate child poverty.”
Questions were raised over why nothing has been done since the issue was first raised four years ago.
Councillor Richard Quigley said the council cannot rely on the kindness of others to solve this issue and without a concerted effort from the authority nothing would change.
Speaking from personal experience, Councillor Andrew Garratt said living in child poverty is a grinding and miserable experience but called for the council’s executive to bring forward the strategy as soon as possible.
stop breeding kids you can’t pay for then
Most superbreeders are out of employment… what else is there do to other than reproduce?
Take and sell drugs, drink alcohol, visit their local nail bar and hairdresser,, drive around in uninsured cars, buy the latest iPhone, the list is endless.
Because the thick Council award points to gain a home, there is an incentive to get pregnant, then you are certain to be found a home, certain to get free rent, free council tax, get child allowance, get thousands in extra benefits in tax credits or now universal credit.
IF they can be bothered to work just 16 hours a week they then get thousands in ‘working tax credit’ AS WELL as their wage, YET still keep all the above benefits of free or heavily subsidised rent + c.tax.
So the low life selfishly don’t worry about contraception or abortion as bringing into the world ANOTHER impoverished child means the ‘muver’ has an easy life, and most single parents NEVER sleep alone, thus gain another wage, benefit, or drug dealer income
They will keep breeding them all the time they know WE will keep them, AND in a free house WE are paying for
So when you’ve all decided how much extra you’re going to pay yourselves, how about you all donate the first years extra monies into a fund to help these kids, better still make it every year. If you can pay yourselves more, then there is obviously cash there for more deserving person’s.
So the bang the council tax up. Where’s the logic!!!
Scum kids of scum parents.
Just sterilise them at birth and the problem will go away,
So you stop food vouchers for the holidays and put the council tax up?!?
Spend all of their benefits on big tvs, sky, fags and booze, and then send the kids to bed hungry. Most probably forget that they even have kids. Already bleeding the country to death, so don’t give them more money. They need to realise that life isn’t all about handouts.
Most of these benefit, tax credit paid for children aren’t loved, not really ‘wanted’ only to provide a roof, free c.tax and income.
So they grow up vile as no love shown from the womb provider as not ‘mothers’ in the true sense, and the sperm donner if known is oft long gone.
So these children don’t often grow to become useful members of society, but end up the same as their parent (s) and they to have ‘children’ as soon a puberty allows, and another house, another batch for us to fund.
People should be worse off by having children financially otherwise they are born for the wrong reasons and ruin society.
End any payments and give food cloth vouchers instead.
These parasites just see children as a cash crop to enable them to live a life of no responsibility and fund their pointless lifestyle, they contribute nothing to society and are nothing more than a chain round the necks of hard working people.
Perhaps we need to be redefining what ‘child poverty’ actually means, and whether it actually exists in the UK today?
Basing it on Free School Meal eligibility is, I think, no longer valid as we’re all aware of how much people on benefits, especially those with children, get paid for doing nothing.
If someone makes the choice, and it is a lifestyle choice for many, it shouldn’t be made easy for them. It should be the bare minimum to get by.
Save the money for those who are truly struggling to help them get back on their feet again. They’re the one who deserve it, not those walking around with iPhones in their pockets and Xboxes and Netfilx at home.
Might help if the scrounging parents don’t use their vouchers meant to buy food for the children on booze and fags as they do in the shop my wife works in!!
Quite true ,bad parents , they don’t go without .
unacceptable for children to go to sleep at night hungry nor have the same opportunities as others and the authority had to make this a priority. Yes agree, so why not help these children? Now,instead of waiting for crises of neglect or abuse and spend thousands, often tens of thousands sending them off island to residential/foster care etc, families loose home as well. Children have a chance to be very different to their parents but need to have opportunities. This country needs to work to prevent, not react after. Parents should be restricted to amount of children allowed.
And how, exactly, are you going to be doing that Fred?
I mean, you know how children happen, don’t your? Mum and dad having a “special cuddle” and all that?
People have sex. They have sex because it’s fun and feels good. If they don’t take precautions, children happen. So to “restrict” the number of children someone can have you would have to either forcibly fit a contraceptive device or forcibly sterilise.
Ring any bells from history?
No, cutting benefits for extra children won’t work. Sex and mistakes will still happen. All you will do is increase crime and the number of kids in care (which is expensive)
Limits on number of children allowed. Have we moved to China? I must have missed that.
I had one child ,at the time I could nt afford another and give her a good upbringing which she had. I cut down on myself
If you want to stop child poverty, stop paying the chavs to have another deliberate one each year and then claiming more child benefits to spend on their own snort/swill/fags instead of using the money for what it’s purpose is, which is to support the child. If there is child poverty when the parents are getting support, then those parents are neglecting the child.
The poor kids don’t ask to be born of stupid feckless parents, and I don’t see waiting 4 years after the last report and now saying they want to sort things out by 2028 is really doing anything to eliminate child poverty. Maybe better education for the would be parents would help?
They won’t be able to be educated, they are all too brain dead from so much smack intake
Guessing B.Sc is “Bronze Swimming Certificate”
Some of the comments here, as usual from people with severely impaired IQ’s, are laughable. It is possible to have one or two kids living in poverty when both parents work full-time. They may be paying a mortgage, rent, extortionate energy bills, hiked up Council Tax bills, expensive fuel, car insurance, house insurance… the list is expandable unlike your tiny minds. Heartless comments about children and their families. If you had brains, one or two of you might be dangerous, but I doubt it.
your kids are not our problem – they are yours, you pay – no money, go without
Yes very true unfortunately you won’t be able to change the minds or find a point of agreement with such ignorant I’ll informed narrow minded bigoted vile people. Who’s only joy in life is spouting horrible negative opinions about people who they know nothing about.
A lot of heartless comments here, when did adults become so unkind.
Of course, there will be people who live the system, contrive to make it work for them, but that’s no life, let them have their ‘fags and booze’… its peanuts, small fry… it really is.
We need to help those falling on hard times, the poor wages, the sky rocketing prices for basic amenities, departure from the EU, the war in Ukraine, its a perfect storm for poverty right now.
Let’s all stop being so damn childish, put aside your boiling misguided anger issues and help our children. They are innocent, nobody asks,or has any say in what setting they are born Into. The lottery of life.
Chavs who are not looking after what they could ill afford to bring into this world themselves were children once.
And most as soon as puberty hits have ‘had’ a child, knowing they didn’t want a ‘borin’ job on a checkout, livin wiv a parent for years’, so by getting pregnant gain a flat, an income no borin work, and are free to do as they please, be it laze on a beach in the Summer, sit in a nail bar, a pub, cafe, or round a mate place.
All funded by others and their clones will grow up to be the same only worse each generation.
So people aren’t unkind, they are sick of it, and normal people see the need to break the cycle by forcing these beings to live in real poverty to prevent it becoming, as it is a lifestyle choice
Pink, don’t lose sight on what you need to be emotional about. The root cause. The people at the bottom have nothing, will never have anything. That they live for free in luxury, is a myth. Common theme in this country to blame the poor. Whilst the rich get richer.
Let’s be nice to people eh?
no I think not – if you are in a position where you haven’t got enough to support yourself and your family, then you need to cut things out – no baccy, no booze, no sky tv, no internet, no car, no takeaway, no new clothes, no new furniture, no mobile phone, no birthday or xmas presents and no weed. You get the hint.
the benefit system is a short term safety net- not a lifestyle choice – you want nice things in life, then work for it and pay your way instead of sponging off the rest of us.
Wighter, I completely agree with your last sentence. The rest is regurgitated daily mail.
The council is committed to reducing child poverty, but puts up the council tax that parents are struggling to pay. How does this help? Am I missing something here?
Council tax in the island is ludicrous. Vast bulk of the money is spent on running non-existent or pointless council services. Close it down and start again. I am happy to pay for the bins. Put road maintenance back in the hands of public sector and I would be happy to pay for a non-extortionate service that might actually do its job. Sod the rest of it.
If you are not perfect you get punished and if you are perfect you get crucified.