Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether a reduction in (1) the number of, and (2) the proportion of, children living in (a) relative poverty, and (b) absolute poverty, in (i) every local authority, and (ii) across the UK, is an intended outcome of the levelling up agenda.

While talent is spread equally across our country, opportunity is not. Levelling up means people everywhere living longer and more fulfilling lives, and benefitting from sustained rises in living standards and well-being.

Reducing the number and proportion of children living in poverty across the UK is a central part of this vision and that is why the Government set out 12 missions in the Levelling Up White Paper to not only specifically improve outcomes in the most left-behind places but also improve the lives of all people. In particular, one of the twelve missions is focused on boosting people's living standards, particularly where they are lagging (mission 1). Another mission aims to spread opportunities for children in part by boosting the proportion of children meeting the expected standards in the worst-performing areas (mission 5).