06 August 2004
Inequality has increased over the past decade despite government attempts to tackle social injustice, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research.
The influential Left-of-centre think-tank found that the gap between rich and poor has continued to grow, although the rate of increase has slowed since its high point in the 1980s.
The proportion of wealth held by the richest 10% of the population has risen from 47% to 54% between 1990 and 2000, the IPPR said in a wide-ranging analysis of wealth and inequality in Britain.
Childless adults of working age have not benefited from government policy, and the proportion living in poverty has climbed from 25% in 1994 to 31% in 2003.
But some progress has been made: there is less child poverty, people are living longer, and they experience less crime than a decade ago.
IPPR director Nick Pearce called for a 'shift in terms of political debate'. He said: 'The government does not consistently articulate and publicly advocate a fairer, more equal Britain.'
PFaug2004
