Several posts ago I spoke of how we as a society had become so used to talking about the numbers of
people suffering or in poverty thatmillions was the new normal. I did say at the time that since hundreds
of thousands was so normal and millions was so common it would not be long before we started talking
about tens of millions.
I thought 2014.
Figures release today say that the UK has 13 million people listed as being in poverty, that is to say the
total household income is less than 60% of the average.
So here we are. Tens of millions and its still December 2013.
The highlights are the report are as follows:
In 2011/12, 13 million people in the UK were living in poverty.
For the first time more than half of these people lived in a working family.
The proportion of pensioners in poverty is at its lowest for almost 30 years.
The proportion of working-age adults without children in poverty is the highest on record.
Average incomes have fallen by 8 per cent since their peak in 2008.
As a result, around 2 million people have a household income below the 2008 poverty line but are
not considered to be in poverty today.
In the last year, the labour market has shown signs of revival.
Underemployment has fallen slightly from 6.4 million to 6.3 million and young adult
unemployment appears to have peaked at 21 per cent.
The number of people in low-paid jobs has risen. There are now around 5 million people paid
below the living wage.
The movement in and out of work is substantial – 4.8 million different people have claimed
Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) – in the last two years.
Following recent changes to the social security system, many people on means-tested benefits
have reduced incomes.
Around 500,000 families face a cut in housing benefit via the under-occupation penalty and a
reduction in Council Tax Benefit.
The number of sanctioned jobseekers with a reduced entitlement to JSA doubled in 2010 to
around 800,000.
The level of benefits for an out-of-work adult without children now covers only 40 per cent of
what the public considers to be a minimum standard of living. For families with children this
figure is no more than 60 per cent.
How about a closer look at these individual details and the implications.
In 2011/12, 13 million people in the UK were living in poverty.
For the first time more than half of these people lived in a working family.
Some seven million people are living in households where one or more people work and yet they are
in poverty. Given that the threshold for being considered in Poverty has been lowered due to the
lower average wage this is a crushing figure.
The constant refrain from the Government is “Get a Job”.Those without jobs or dependant on benefits
are constantly called parasites, cheats, idle layabouts.
These numbers make a mockery of that.
According to the governments own figures 29 million people in the UK are listed as being in employment
of some form, part time or full time, temp or permanent.
Here however we see that some 7 million of those people who the government boast about having jobs
are in fact still living in conditions of poverty.
Think about that for a moment.
Seven million people. Nearly a quarter of the entire work force have jobs that provide so little income that
they are considered to be living in Poverty.
The proportion of pensioners in poverty is at its lowest for almost 30 years.
The proportion of working-age adults without children in poverty is the highest on record.
Various schemes have been put in place to ensure that the oldest and often most vulnerable of our
population are protected. These have generally been successful and the result is clear to see.
However the results that other schemes and government decisions have had on the rest of the adult
population is also clear to see and has had a significant effect on the standard of living and income of far
too many.
People living alone, people without children, those too young to have had children yet or those whose
children are now eighteen. These people are looking at levels of poverty that are the highest on record.
Average incomes have fallen by 8 per cent since their peak in 2008.
As a result, around 2 million people have a household income below the 2008 poverty line but
are not considered to be in poverty today.
This is a serious problem. Over the last few years people have had their pay frozen or increased by tiny
amounts while every form of bill and living cost has increased.
The result is that average income has fallen both in real terms and in terms of spending power.
This means that people are spending proportionately more and more on bills and have less and less
available for other costs.
In addition since things like the poverty indicators are based on the average wage, as this becomes
lower due to far more people in part time jobs or temp work those who are eligible for support find
themselves denied any help despite the fact that they have the same money now as they had a few
years ago.
Combined with the Governments underhand tricks such as changing the wording of what constitutes
poverty and more and more people who need help are no longer provided with help because they no
longer qualify.
In the last year, the labour market has shown signs of revival.
This is nice but increasing the number of people in short term, part time and temp agency work does
not help with the overall problem.
Given that the number of people who are working but are also in poverty is increasing at the same time
that the number of people in work and the number of jobs available are also increasing you can see that
all these new jobs are paying minimum wage or less.
Hardly the good news certain politicians keep claiming it to be.
Underemployment has fallen slightly from 6.4 million to 6.3 million and young adult unemployment
appears to have peaked at 21 per cent.
The number of people in low-paid jobs has risen. There are now around 5 million people paid below
the living wage.
See my comments above. More people in some form of job that leaves them in the same poverty that they
were trapped in while unemployed is good news for no one except the same greedy corporations who are
forcing wages ever lower to maximise profits.
The movement in and out of work is substantial – 4.8 million different people have claimed
Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) – in the last two years.
This is one heck of a turnover. Either the same people have been in work and out of work twice over the
last two years or 4.8 million people have lost their jobs in the last two years.
No indication of how many have since found jobs or how many are on benefits or dropped through the
cracks of the system.
Following recent changes to the social security system, many people on means-tested benefits
have reduced incomes.
Around 500,000 families face a cut in housing benefit via the under-occupation penalty and a
reduction in Council Tax Benefit.
The number of sanctioned jobseekers with a reduced entitlement to JSA doubled in 2010 to
around 800,000.
The level of benefits for an out-of-work adult without children now covers only 40 per cent of
what the public considers to be a minimum standard of living. For families with children this f
igure is no more than 60 per cent.
These four I have put together because they are all variations of the same thing.
People who are dependent on the state for benefits of any form are finding those benefits cut back
steadily.
Step by step far too many people are finding themselves trapped at the bottom of a very deep pit called
poverty. Once in this pit it is becoming more and more difficult to climb out.
Support is cut back or denied completely because people no longer qualify.
Funds are cut and cut again until far too many people are faced with a stark and terrible choice.
“HEAT OR EAT”.
Winter is coming. The snow grows thicker in the north. The bitter winds come south.
So which do you chose?
Do you stave off death by cold and go hungry or do you opt to wrap yourself in blankets and sleeping
bags while you eat some food cold because you cannot cook it.
40% of a living income. Just 40% of what is considered the minimum standard of live that is considered
acceptable in the UK.
Never mind the TV programs focusing on the benefit cheats with the latest gadgets and wide screen TVs.
Instead look at the people sitting in doorways with everything they own in bags around them.
Visit a food bank and see the shame filled faces of people left with no other choice than to come and beg
for food.
Look at the numerous charities that are stepping in to fill the gap left when a government abandons its
most basic due, that of a duty to its own people.
As a nation our politics swing between two parties.
On one side we have the nasty party, the Tories. There seems to be no policy to cruel or inhumane for the
Tories to put into action.
The people must be scarified in the name of the economy so friends, families, old school chums and peers
can make ever higher profits.
Then on the other side we have the Incompetent party. Labour. Nothing is too ridiculous for Labour, nothing
is to wasteful or badly planned for them to put into action.
The economy must be scarified in the name of the people so friends, families, old school chums and peers c
an make ever higher profits.
There no longer seems to be a middle ground.
I don’t mean the political centre that both main parties claim to represent. I am not talking about Left or Right.
I am talking about the middle ground between the two main parties.
Where is the compromise where steps are taken to support the economy but at the same time compromises
are made to minimise the suffering of the population.
Why is our only choice between Nasty and Incompetent?
Both main parties are filled with the same career politicians, far out of touch with the realities of living in the
UK in the 21stcentury.
People isolated from having to budget and face stark choices between food and heat by family wealth,
inheritances and significant incomes and expense accounts.
People for the most part from the same social background, the same schools, people with the same
attitudes and ideas.
An economy that rises and falls year by year but seems to benefit few and leave more and more people
trapped at the lowest levels of our society.
Severn million people in jobs are in poverty and we have the likes of ex M & S boss Sir Stuart Rose, and
Domino's boss Lance Batchelor, saying that British workers should not complain if they are not willing to
work long hours for low wages when the incoming Immigrants are prepared to do so.
I suspect more and more of these big business types will be rolled out over the next few days to try and
discredit the Rowntree figures and we will be hearing more of the same demonization of the poor old
British poor.
British workers refuse to take available jobs so it’s their own fault.
British workers are no good, immigrant workers are better.
British workers are lazy and don’t want to work long hours for minimum pay.
British workers choose not to work.
Don’t have a job, it’s your choice to freeze or starve. Get a job and it’s your choice to freeze or starve.
How exactly is this a choice?