Government Policies aimed at reducing poverty in the UK

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Government policies have significant impact on reducing poverty. However in recent years Britain suffered from a recession leading to economic problems. Thus the effect their polices have require further analysis.

The most common way to measure poverty is by the Household below average income report. According to this report, a household earning less than 60% of the national median income is in poverty. It shows 20% of British children are in poverty. However in some parts it's higher, such as Springburn, Glasgow where it is 50%.

One way the government tries to reduce poverty is through benefits. The child benefit is a universal benefit of £20.30 per week for all parents with a independent child (ren). However, this will be scrapped for anyone earning over £44 000 per year in 2013. This will save the government around £1 billion per year. However, according to the shadow treasury secretary Chris Leslie, "the current government plans ... are unfair and highly bureaucratic." This was shown when figures showed families with three children will lose around £2800 per year even if one parent is unemployed. Although this may not drive the family into poverty, it will have a significant effect on