Investing in our children (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Investing in our children

11:24am Friday 3rd February 2012 in Letters

Sir.–The Gazette is right to highlight the modern scandal of rising child poverty. And it is a modern scandal.

Between 1998 and 2010, child poverty fell by 900,000, thanks to the last Labour Government. Now, the Institute of Fiscal studies warns that unless the Coalition alters its spending cuts, child poverty across the UK will rise by 400,000 children by 2015.

What your recent article didn’t show is that the 29 per cent child poverty figure for Popley East is predominantly working families, whose wages are falling while costs of living, especially food and fuel, are rising, and their safety net, in the form of tax credits or housing benefit, is being taken away by the Coalition. We are now seeing working families going short on food and heating, something not seen since the Second World War.

We’ve a proud track record of investment in Popley, with more than £100million spent on regeneration in the past 10 years, including a new secondary school, extended primary schools, a medical centre, a Sure Start centre, new roads, new shops, and eyesore schemes like Longfellow Parade demolished. This money needs matching by the Government investing in people.

Children don’t choose the circumstances they are born into. Basingstoke MP Maria Miller has stated that every child deserves the best chance in life, but we believe her actions say the opposite, and actions speak louder than words.

Every pound spent will be repaid several times over in later life. It is the basic requirement of civilised society that it looks after its children.

–Cllr Andrew McCormick, Popley East, Cllr Shelley Phelps, Popley East, Mary Brian, former councillor Popley East, Viv Washbourne, Popley Resident.