By Rachel Spring Social affairs analyst, BBC News

More children are sliding into relative poverty

Child poverty is up for the first time since Labour came to power, official figures have shown.

According to the report, Households Below Average Incomes, 2.8 million children were living in relative poverty in 2005-2006 before housing costs are taken into account. That is a rise of 100,000 on the previous year and 22% of all children in the UK.

After housing costs are taken into account, some 3.8m children were living in poverty - 30% of all children and up 200,000 on the previous year.

The report contains a wealth of other information, some of it more telling in its implications than even the headline figures.

For example, it also shows that almost one in four children living in the poorest fifth of families have no facilities or outdoor spaces to play in that are considered safe.

Poverty has probably risen in part because benefit and tax credit payments for some of the groups most vulnerable to poverty were increased less quickly than average incomes in 2005/2006 Institute of Fiscal Studies Child poverty on the rise

One in 10 live in families that cannot afford to celebrate special occasions, and more than half cannot afford to have even one week's family holiday a year.

Poverty can do lasting damage to a child's chances of progressing in life and politicians, from all parties, have waxed lyrical about curing the problem.

Both the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, and Prime Minister, Tony Blair, have been united on this and something of a consensus between the political parties has emerged with all committed at least to the 'aspiration' of ending child poverty within a generation.

Today's figures will leave many wondering what is next.

Poverty cuts

First, what are the targets?

The first target was to reduce child poverty by a quarter between 1998-1999 and 2004-2005. Last year it was revealed that the government fell 100,000 children short of meeting this milestone.

The latest figures, published on Tuesday, reveal that the fight against child poverty is slipping even further into the mire.

We reach the next milestone in 2010, when the number of children in poverty needs to be halved from 1998-1999 levels.

Finally, by 2020, no child should be living in poverty.

Despite the shortfall in the figures, It is worth remembering that since 1998-1999, about 600,000 children have been lifted out of poverty.

And the UK no longer has the highest child poverty rate in the European Union - Portugal, Italy and the Slovak Republic have higher rates.

It would not be fair to say that there has been a failure of political will and billions of pounds have been ploughed in to the tax credit system - the key weapon in the fight against child poverty.

But this redistribution of income has not been enough to keep pace with the growing inequality in incomes across the country.

With leaner years ahead in terms of public spending, it looks as if things can only get worse.

According to the Institute of Fiscal Studies one reason for the rise in poverty has been that "benefit and tax credit payments for some of the groups most vulnerable to poverty were increased less quickly than average incomes in 2005/2006".

That was "in marked contrast to the relative generosity of the previous five years," the IFS explained.

"Increases were also relatively modest in 2006/2007 and are set to be so again in 2007/2008, suggesting that poverty may get worse before it gets better," the IFS added.

New strategy

Alongside today's figures, the government unveiled a new strategy to tackle child poverty.

The government will do more to "help parents to lift themselves and their children out of poverty through employment".

More money is to be made available for the New Deal for Lone Parents and a new New Deal for Families.

More support, including the widening of the in-work credit scheme, with particular focus on those living in London where employment rates for lone parents lag the national average.

There will also be tougher obligations on benefit claimants, and lone parents will be required to look for work once their youngest child reaches the age of 12.

And last week the Chancellor announced increases in the child element of the child tax credit from April 2008, and in child benefit.

But campaigners say an extra �4bn is needed if the 2010 target stands any chance of being met.

The Budget changes are not of this order.

Moving target

If substantial amounts are not to be pumped into tax credits and the rich are not going to be taxed more in order to reduce inequality and force down the poverty threshold, then it is not obvious how progress is to be made.

Some observers argue that the poverty measure itself is the wrong base from which to judge success.

Relative low income is a moving target, they say. It shifts each year in line with changes in median income, which says more about inequality than it necessarily says about material deprivation.

The measures used to assess the 2010 target will be different but the government remains committed to tackling relative poverty.