Britain's Hidden Hunger

[KanelbulleKing]

www.itv.com/hub/britains-secret-hunger-exposure/2a7613a0001

Just watching this on catch up and I'm sobbing. How has Britain sunk so low as a country that children are frightened of school holidays because they know they'll be hungry? Children thinking it's Christmas because their family has received a few bags of basic food items?

The existence of food banks in one of the richest countries in the world is a national disgrace. My MIL is knocking on 80 and spends her spare time peeling potatoes and carrots for the lunches her church provides for anyone who needs them. She should be putting her feet up and being served herself but she won't because she's too worried about her 'guests' going hungry.

Time for change?

I find the sheer lack of empathy (and determination not to understand the issues) from some posters on this thread utterly depressing. Lazy judgmental attitudes and blaming those feckless poor people for... well for being poor basically!
It’s like having to sit and listen to my Mil - who has a heart made of pure stone.
And yeah stop bloody name changing! Own your nastiness!

my point is that benefits are generally enough to feed your kids on contrary to many pp on this thread.

Not if your housing costs are higher than the allocated allowance (which is set at the 30th percentile, so 70% of houses cost more). Or if you have any debt. Or sudden expenses.

Basic allowances are around £75 for an adult and £55 per child. In my area the two bed housing allowance is £90, but you won't find anything below £120. Then there's council tax (with discount) of £10 to pay, so you've got £90 for everything - gas, electric, water, TV license, phone, internet (you can't claim without it), any debt repayments, travel costs. And food! It's easy to see how people struggle.

@Passthecherrycoke - my point is that benefits are generally enough to feed your kids on contrary to many pp on this thread

I think perhaps your point should be that in 2010 when you were on benefits (so prior to the freeze on benefits, and the switch to UC, and nearly a decade ago), you found the benefits you received to be enough to feed your kids on.

Your experience was possibly quite different to how it is now, do you think?

@zsazsajuju I don’t think anyone has said that fully claimed benefits are too little to feed your children have they?

There were fat kids back then too, I know because I was one of them!

Sorry but this made me

partners forming drug addictions or gambling problems,
These and alcoholism cause poverty and huge unhappiness for those who live with an addict, alcoholic or gambler.
The addiction comes first and feeding or providing for the family second.
Governments of every hue have tried unsuccessfully to deal with the problem for decades and I can only hope that one day an absolute cure can be found for them.
Meanwhile the families go on suffering.

Stop having kids the family with 5 it was obvious they couldnt afford them. Arent they embarrassed to be on TV?

Porridge made with water is a one off back of the cupboard or crap camping breakfast. No one is going to be fuelled by that for long.

FWIW I eat porridge every morning, but with milk, sugar, linseeds, banana/pecan/thick yoghurt. I wouldn't last until 10am if I had just porridge and water 😕.

I just watched this. How horribly sad. we were asked to nominate a charity for our company christmas cards this year so have nominated a food bank off the back of this.

I see the Marie Stopes club are out in force again. In work pod bank consumption has increased too, feckless teachers, nurses, firefighters...

@Passthecherrycoke there are very few people who go from being able to afford children (this includes the provisions that responsible people put in place like six months outgoings in case of loss of income, keeping both parents employable, having life and income insurance etc.). Obviously there are some cases like that where terrible, unforeseeable and unmitigatable events occur but it’s extremely rare. Most people can factor in the kinds of expectable changes that do occur like job losses or one spouse being unable to work for a period of time.

Its not only in the UK.
I live in a very rich country and 20% of the children here grows up in poverty. Children of single mums are 40% living in poverty. The biggest problem here is mums quitting their jobs after having a baby and having trouble finding a new one after a divorce and a huge gender pay gap ( in the single mum’s cases). Everywhere it’s the same: it’s the adults that mess up ( governement, parents making wrong choices in life) or having bad luck and it’s the children who suffer.

@megletthesecond a lot of people actually would be fine with that. I frequently don’t eat breakfast at all and have lunch after one. Different people have different appetites. I definitely could manage more than a couple of spoons of your breakfast in the morning.

Where on earth do you get that idea from @Velveteenfruitbowl? You’ve completely made that up 🤣

A child would not be fuelled by that for long. Especially if their next meal isn't anything substantial and just fills a hole.

@Honeybee85. Is there an issue with single parents, because a child always has 2 parents. It a question of how we get the other parent to provide for any children they have had. It should not be the single parent to have to cope alone. (obviously death is the exception....) Perhaps a few suggestions on here would be helpful?

@anniemac1

The problem in this country is that only 1 parent can have custody of the child and so usually the mum will get that. Child support is not something that is common here so the father can just walk away if he wants to and the mum has to cope alone. As I wrote above, many of them struggle to find a job that provides for her and the child(ren).

How can you get money out of a father who doesn’t have any to give? Surely you wouldn’t be naive enough to think it’s just a question of asking nicely?

so, if there was a way to make them pay through govt intervention, take honeybees figures of 40% less children would go hungry. ?

I can’t believe people are saying porridge is problematic... it’s much better than cereal for nutrition and for filling you up. Even made with water (and salt, you need salt, or it’s disgusting... can you tell I’m Scottish?!)

And soup. What the hell is wrong with soup? Why would people not eat soup? The veg bag for soup is less than a pound at Tesco. Stock cubes cost pennies. You need a pan, a tap and a cooking ring.

You’d also get bored eating frozen pizza and chips every day, but conveniently that’s never mentioned.

Yes, it’s terrible that people are in poverty and I am not saying soup and porridge would be the answer, but it would help a bit. It’s not all black and white.

What government intervention?

We already have government intervention to make parents pay for their children. The point is it doesn’t work.

What are your suggestions to get money out of them?

@anniemac1

I have no idea and thankfully I am in the fortunate situation that I don’t have to worry about it as me and DH are happily married. But my heart goes out to those poor women struggling to provide for their children and their little ones. I can only hope I will never get into the same situation!

Just wondering how recently you were on benefits zsazsajuju? Because my understanding is that the current form is markedly different from previous and a lot more challenging to survive on?

I've just run my details through a benefits calculator based on my circumstances when I was a single parent. I am genuinely horrified. I knew things were worse now, but my god, how much worse hadn't fully sunk in. I would now be £15 a week worse off than when I claimed. Which doesn't sound huge, BUT I was on benefits almost 30 years ago. My mind is blown.

I just watched this. How horribly sad. we were asked to nominate a charity for our company christmas cards this year so have nominated a food bank off the back of this.

Honeybee
If only you’re statement was true
Too many mums are losing their children thru the secretive family courts to abusive fathers
My dil being one of them
She’s on the bones of her backside as an expensive barrister cleaned out any savings and she still lost her kids
Icantbear the thought of anyone going hungry least of all children
Breaks my heart