RSS feed Alison Garnham's Archive

Alison Garnham

Alison Garnham

Alison Garnham is Chief Executive of the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG). Prior to that, she has been CEO of Daycare Trust, Director of Policy, Research and Information at One Parent Families (now Gingerbread), and Senior Lecturer in Social Policy at the University of North London (now London Metropolitan University) where she has also been an Honorary Research Fellow. She has written about lone parenthood and child poverty, including an edition of Poverty: the Facts, published by CPAG.

Web: http://www.cpag.org.uk
  • Society & Welfare

    There is nothing fair about these changes to Child Benefit

    8th March 2012 — Filed under: Society & Welfare

    Alison Garnham Alison Garnham

    The value of Child Benefit has been frozen until 2014, cutting family incomes in tough times. The Government has also announced plans to stop paying Child Benefit to higher rate tax payers, ending almost 35 years of universal support for children. While the Government have been arguing that it is fair that these wealthy, higher rate tax paying families should bear the greatest burden, there is nothing fair at all about these changes to Child Benefit.

    Raising a happy, healthy child costs parents on average £210,000 by the age of 21, but benefits all of society. The tax and benefit system should recognise the extra costs that all families with children bear. Simply cutting child benefit means that wealthy households without children do not carry their fair share of the burden; many higher rate tax payers do not have children in their households, so are not affected by the plans. All households with the means – those who have the broadest shoulders – should be helping to share the burden in these tough financial times.

    CPAG’s new report shows the hardship the freeze on child benefit is causing, and what impact the proposed claw back will have on families.

    Continue Reading →

  • Society & Welfare

    Poverty myths: “Child poverty is down to bad parents”

    17th October 2011 — Filed under: Society & Welfare

    Alison Garnham Alison Garnham

    The vast majority of children live in poverty not because their parents are workshy, are drug or alcohol dependent, or can’t manage their children properly, as government rhetoric increasingly seems to suggest. They are poor because their parents don’t have an adequate income to make ends meet.

    Work and worklessness:

    It is wrong to say that poverty is caused by parents unwilling to work. The majority of children in poverty – 58% – have a working parent.  These families are in working poverty because very often there is no alternative to low paid jobs, with few opportunities for progression. The lack of good, affordable childcare means that many families cannot afford to work more hours.

    Continue Reading →