Conference To Lead Action On Child Poverty

A conference that will help identify and tackle the local causes of child poverty takes place in Leicester later this month.

Over 250 delegates have signed up for the first citywide conference to be held by the Leicester Child Poverty Commission. It takes place at De Montfort University on Friday, May 25.

The conference will bring together local services with regional organisations and national children’s charities to help highlight good practice and generate new and innovative ways to tackle child poverty in Leicester.

More than 35 per cent of children in Leicester – about 27,000 – currently live in poverty.

Deputy City Mayor Cllr Rory Palmer set up and leads the Leicester Child Poverty Commission.

He said: “Tackling child poverty will be a huge challenge. This conference will bring together local, regional and national expertise to help develop some key actions that will make a real difference to the young people living in poverty in the city.

“While our priority will be an action plan to deal with child poverty locally, we are aiming to develop policy and ideas that could be used in other cities and influence national thinking.”

Alison Garnham, chief executive of the national Child Poverty Action Group, will be a keynote speaker at the conference.

She said: “By establishing a Child Poverty Commission and holding this conference, Leicester is way out ahead of most places in taking seriously its duty to have a local child poverty strategy.”

The conference will take place at De Montfort University’s Hugh Aston building, which has been provided at no cost to the Leicester Child Poverty Commission.

There are still a handful of places available at the conference. It is free to attend but places must be booked in advance at www.leicester.gov.uk/childpovertyconference

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