CPAG comment on Ed Miliband’s conference speech

In response to Ed Miliband’s party conference speech, Alison Garnham, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group, said:

“Ed Miliband’s conference speech is a welcome political response to the cost of living crisis engulfing more and more families with children. With two-thirds of children in poverty living in working families, Ed Miliband is spot on in recognising parents need and want decent, well paid jobs – jobs they can raise a family on.

“The bottom line is that all the political parties need to do much more to recognise the market failures in the labour market, the housing market and the childcare market that have left millions of families on poverty pay, with insecure jobs, high rents and unaffordable childcare.”

"Action to cut energy bills for families is welcome. But we also need to think about the rising cost of other essentials, not least the cost of food and the numbers of families, including working families, needing support from food banks. If families are to keep up with bills, it means the value of essential support from tax credits and for jobseekers, disabled people and carers must keep up with rising prices.”

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