Bishop Martyn made the following comment on social media, in response to today's publication of the government's Child Poverty Strategy (5 December 2025).
"I welcome the government’s commitment to lifting children out of poverty and the important steps included in their Child Poverty Strategy. Expanding family hubs, improving access to childcare and providing targeted support to families in temporary accommodation will make a meaningful difference to many families. Ending the two-child limit on means-tested benefits will certainly help hundreds of thousands of children have a fairer start in life.
"However, while these measures are positive, the Strategy as a whole lacks the ambition needed to reverse a decade of rising child poverty. Much of what has been announced today had already been trailed in earlier budgets or policy papers, and the new commitments fall short of the scale of the challenge. Even with these reforms, projected poverty levels are likely to remain far higher than they were a generation ago.
"Child poverty carries immense costs - to the families affected, to the public purse, and to our common life together. With that in mind, I believe the government could have afforded to take more robust and holistic action."
The Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Revd Martyn Snow, is the Church of England’s lead bishop for child poverty issues.