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Child poverty is one of those topics that seems to be perenially in the news, but even those who follow it closely may be surprised to learn that according to a new piece of research, from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, child poverty is costing Britain £25 billion pounds a year. This figure apparently takes into account government spending to alleviate the problem, the cost of benefits paid out to the public, a lack of taxes and national insurance contributions, and a lack of productive output.

The report which makes these claims is online now and is entitled Estimating the Costs of Child Poverty. Many of its conclusions have been drawn from evidence gathered in three other publications; these are The GDP Cost of the Lost Earning Potential of Adults who Grew Up in Poverty, The Costs of Child Poverty for Individuals and Society: A Literature Review (a good source of references for any of you studying this area!), and The Public Service Costs of Child Poverty.