Towards a child poverty free London: priorities for action
Child poverty remains one of London’s greatest challenges.
Today, 31% of London’s children—around 760,000—live in relative income poverty after housing costs (HBAI, 2026).
The three local authorities with the highest child poverty rates are all in London - Tower Hamlets (50.3%), Hackney (50.1%) and Newham (44.9%).
No child should grow up without the essentials they have a right to, including a safe home, warm clothes, and enough nutritious food.
4in10 London’s Child Poverty Network, was founded in 2008 in response to the then Labour Government’s ambition to end child poverty within a generation. Seventeen years on, the rate of child poverty in London remains stubbornly high—but there is a renewed opportunity for change.
With the publication in December 2025 of the Government’s new Child Poverty Strategy, 4in10 and its 450-strong network of organisations are ready to work with partners across London to deliver practical, place-based action that lifts children out of poverty and supports families to thrive.
The action plan set out here describes the steps needed at regional and local level to make real progress. There is no single solution: tackling child poverty requires sustained action across the short, medium, and long term. Above all, it must be shaped by the voices and lived experience of children, young people, and families affected by poverty.
Our Action Plan is endorsed by the following 4in10 members:
These organisations are members of the 4in10 Network and support the Action Plan set out on this website. Together, they represent a wide range of expertise across policy areas affecting child poverty. Given this breadth, endorsement reflects support for the Plan’s overall aims and approach rather than formal sign-off of each specific call to action.