Story perspectives

Poverty Declines by 1.32 Million, Critics Urge Action

3/27/2026

Summary

Story summary

The government released poverty estimates for 2023/24, showing 400,000 fewer children in relative poverty and reducing total poverty from 14.25 million to 12.93 million.
Ben Gregg of the Centre for Social Justice criticized the "relative low-income" measure and urged focusing on sustainable work solutions rather than arbitrary thresholds.
He noted that 1.5 million children live in workless households, and the changes are not expected to significantly alter government policy projections.

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Story summary

The government released poverty estimates for 2023/24, showing 400,000 fewer children in relative poverty and reducing total poverty from 14.25 million to 12.93 million.
Ben Gregg of the Centre for Social Justice criticized the "relative low-income" measure and urged focusing on sustainable work solutions rather than arbitrary thresholds.
He noted that 1.5 million children live in workless households, and the changes are not expected to significantly alter government policy projections.