THE Financial Secretary to the Treasury has urged local authorities and communities to work with the Government to end Britain’s growing menace of child poverty. Stephen Timms was addressing a conference in London’s deprived East End

By Mike Brooke

THE Financial Secretary to the Treasury has urged local authorities and communities to work with the Government to end Britain’s growing menace of child poverty.

Stephen Timms addressed a Child Poverty conference in London’s deprived East End to urge continued close co-operation.

“We can eradicate child poverty by 2020 if communities continue to work alongside the Government,” he said.

But Tower Hamlets, Britain’s most deprived borough, plans to lift 1,000 children out of poverty in the East End by the year after next, the conference heard.

The local authority’s new chief executive, Kevan Collins, told delegates: “Our child poverty’ strategy is clear. Our target is 1,000 fewer children growing up in poverty by 2011.”

The open day’ conference at Whitechapel’s Toynbee Hall settlement was aimed at sharing experiences with delegates from local authorities and child poverty campaigners up and down the country.