Andrew Mitchell MP attended a meeting of the Sutton Coldfield International Development Group last Friday to explore the deeper causes of poverty both in the UK and overseas. People from Sutton gathered at the Friend’s Meeting House to hear from expert speakers which included Dr Shailen Nandy (University of Bristol), Karen Moore (Plan UK) and former International Development Secretary, and Sutton Coldfield’s MP Andrew Mitchell. Andrew Mitchell MP, said “Thanks must go to Members of the Sutton Coldfield International Development Group who have worked hard to organise this important event. I am pleased that so many people contributed to the lively discussion we had around the theme “Why do children go to bed hungry?” “The Government has been consulting on how to tackle child poverty in the UK and has found that poverty is not just about a lack of money; it often has more to do with a lack of employment, educational failure, debt and drink and substance abuse which is why we have put measures in place to get to the root cause of these problems.” The Coalition Government has committed to eliminating child poverty in the UK by 2020 by introducing a range of incentives such as targeting education by investing £2.5 billion in the Pupil Premium and improving work incentives with Universal Credit which will ensure that three million families will be better off by £168 per month. Photo: Andrew Mitchell MP addressing the meeting organised by the Sutton Coldfield International Development Group',