13 September 2004 - We’re tackling poverty at street level – Alan Johnson Opportunity for all report highlights progress towards eradicating poverty
Secretary of State Alan Johnson today pledged to tackle poverty at street level as the DWP published a report showing that the traditional view of North/South and urban/rural divides often mask the real picture of where deprivation exists in Britain today.
The 6th annual Opportunity for all report includes for the first time, a particular focus on area-based disadvantage.
Launching the report, Alan Johnson said:
“Variations in deprivation within regions are often much more pronounced than those between regions. Our improved data means that we can tackle poverty in smaller geographical areas – even on a street by street basis – and ensure that we target help to the areas which need it most.
“We are using ‘Working Neighbourhood’ pilots to target small pockets of worklessness within communities. And ‘Action Teams for Jobs’ ensure that additional support is given to the most vulnerable job seekers in communities to help them overcome barriers to work such as insufficient funds to travel or a lack of equipment to do the job.”
“While overall, the North continues to suffer from higher poverty than the South and South East, the improved data reveals areas of deprivation in every region, and problems in rural and urban areas alike.”
Opportunity for all shows that the Government is making significant progress in its efforts to eradicate child poverty, achieving full employment, providing security for those unable to work, providing security and independence in retirement and delivering high quality public services.
The report contains 58 poverty indicators. Two of these; tackling childhood obesity and families living in temporary accommodation are new and are in recognition of the Government’s commitment to tackle these new areas of concern. The indicators show a significant improvement on last year with more of the trends going in the right direction.
Significant achievements include:
- Large falls in the proportion of all people below ‘absolute’ low-income thresholds (GB)
- 600,000 fewer children in relative income poverty since 1997 (before housing costs)
- 2.1 million fewer children in absolute poverty since 1997
- Fuel poverty has been more than halved from 3.3 million households in 1998 to 1.4 million households in 2001
- Attainment levels at 16 years are improving
- Highest employment rate of the major industrialised countries with 1.9 million more people in permanent jobs than in 1997
Mr Johnson added:
“Today’s report shows that our national strategy for targeting poverty is working and is greatly complemented by the work we are doing at community level. There are over half a million fewer children living in relative low income, 300,000 fewer children in workless households and we’ve virtually eradicated long-term youth unemployment.
“For the first time ever, over half of lone parents are in work with over I million new registered childcare places created benefiting 1.8 million children. These are achievements that we can be proud of and that I fully intend to improve on.”
Notes for editors
- Alan Johnson was appointed Secretary of State for the DWP on 8th September 2004.
- In a written statement to Parliament today Alan Johnson announced the publication of the report. Copies are available from www.dwp.gov.uk/ofa
- ‘Breaking the Cycle’, a new series of reports from the Social Exclusion Unit published today backs Opportunity for All's finding that the Government's investment and reform programme has delivered real progress. www.socialexclusion.gov.uk
- Action teams for Jobs
Action Teams for Jobs aim to help jobless people in the most employment deprived areas of the country find and remain in work. Teams aim to work in individual wards with particularly high concentrations of jobless people. Teams work on an 'outreach' basis, taking their services out to the communities they help. They have the flexibility to provide whatever help is thought necessary to help people move into work, e.g. they might provide debt counselling or work clothes, or provide help with childcare costs. - Working Neighbourhood Pilots
In his Pre-Budget Report (PBR) Statement in November 2003, the Chancellor announced a programme of intensive support in neighbourhoods with very high concentrations of worklessness. The programme, titled the Working Neighbourhoods Pilot (WNP), operates in 12 of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the country for two years from 1 April 2004. WNP tests a new approach of offering intensive support to local residents to help them overcome barriers to employment and access the jobs that can often be found within travelling distance of where they live.
Press office media enquiries: please contact Vicki Kennedy - 020 7238 0756
Press office: 020 7238 0866
Out of hours: 07659 108 883
Public enquiries: 020 7712 2171
Website: www.dwp.gov.uk