To be sad 32% of children near me are in poverty?

[Redisthecolour]

www.nomorekidsinpoverty.uk/ how about you?

How can this be acceptable??

15% where I live - in a relatively affluent part of a not very affluent area in South Yorkshire
21% where I grew up - posh end of town within commuting distance of London
21% where OH grew up - very rural ex mining area in the north east

Well, according to the Wikipedia definition, we are in "poverty" then. Basically having £268 to spend after you have paid housing, council tax, utilities etc. Not sure how having £268 is "poverty" . Even in London this goes quite far. These sorts of definitions just make mockery of real poverty.

However, the real issue is the cost of housing. If housing costs were reduced most people wouldn't be in poverty. But the Tories don't want the idle rich to suffer and lose their unearned housing wealth.

I don't know about this study but another one I read a while back measured poverty by things like FSM, family income and money left over for "extras" like leisure activities, clothes etc.

I would definately class myself as poor... no money left over for any extras at all, even having to take a bus somewhere will mess up my budget for the week and mean that I have to cut back on food or skip a bill for a week. Its pretty grim and its hard not to feel dehumanised by it.

This is clearly RELATIVE POVERTY we are talking about.

The 'they all have Sky boxes' accusation merely is pointing out we do not have ABSOLUTE POVERTY in the UK.That is why so many economic migrants want to come here. Compared to their country even people on benefits here are extremely well off.
The concept of relative poverty was inventrd by Labour once the welfare state had been established but the problem is many people on benefits are relatively better off than people who are working. Pensioners better off than people working and paying tax to fund the pensioners retirement

This us where the RELATIVE POVERTY measure has led us to. Totally messed up tax and welfare system

Thanks, that's a bit clearer.
So in UK we have relative poverty but not absolute poverty.

So basically, titles that start ''so many % are in poverty'' is highly misleading.

Oh no we have absolute poverty here too. There's a fair bit of ifeological posturing in that quoted post about relative poverty too.

When talking about relative poverty, the figures aren't that meaningful anyway. Because of the way it's defined it's almost impossible to completely eliminate relative poverty and bizarely the easiest way to reduce relative poverty is to reduce the income of richer people, which actually happened after the financial crash - relative poverty reduced even though the poorest did not get any richer.

Eg If one person has £100k and the other two people have £200k, the first person is in relative poverty, even if the cost of living is £50k.

If three people have £10k there is no poverty, even if the cost of living is £30k.

I'm probably in poverty, ivr paid of my mortgage to now work part time. I love having a smaller income but having plenty of time.

It states 10.9% where I live which and although lower than many quoted in the above thread, is still too high.

what is classed as poverty? I was told I'd be counted as living in poverty I don't have money for luxuries, nights out etc but have enough to pay bills (although admittedly I do ignore a few ) and a basic food shop. I'm usually kind of ok it's unexpected things that stress me out like DD losing uniform etc!

there are lots of different variables too you could have an income of say £3000/month with three kids and a large mortgage etc it wouldnt go very far but someone could have the same income one child and living in a different part of the country paying a smaller mortgage would feel a lot better off as they have far more disposable income.

mine says 29%

my children are entitled to FSM and i think would be classed as in poverty

there is NO way they live in poverty,never hungry,plenty of clothes activities,heating,virgin tv,weekly pocket money,ipads,mobiles etc etc

I think you're being goady sally

32.8 %in old town, very surprised not higher (deprived ex northern mill town)
14.1 % new area - winner of second best place to live in uk

no im not being goady

just telling it straight that my family would be classed as living in poverty and we are not imo far from it,ive given clear examples and if people dont like it or believe it thats ok to but its my familys example nobody elses

im waiting for shrills of troll now

We also are on low income but we do have sky, smart phones, consoles and holidays. I am a good budgeter and I live in a cheaper area.

13.4% in Cameron country... no seperate figure for my town, which I suspect could be a lot less

I'm still surprised it is 13.4%

What's being measured here isn't poverty (in the sense normally understood) but equality... Someone earning £100k would probably be 'poor' by this definition if they lived in Monaco!

Another way of looking at it. If real incomes went up by 20% for the bottom half, but 30% for the top half, a higher proportion would be in poverty by this measure...

Presenting poverty in this way is a nonsense!

I dont think Sally is being goady...just stating fact. A few years ago I would of been classed as 'in poverty' with the way its judged nowadays. I would say my child had a charmed life. I dont think how the figures are worked our do any justice to those genuinly in poverty

No seasidesally isn't being goady. It depends where she lives, how much of her income goes on housing, how well she manages her money etc. That's the point.

I do think we have lost sight of what it used to be like. People's lives are dismissed, they are jeered at because "things are different now" so their poverty doesn't count somehow. Their work in fighting that poverty is dismissed because they are now "old".

No doubt poverty exists. It is terrible and we should do more about it but I really don't think it is just a question of money.

13.87% here, in Wiltshire not far from M4/ Bath. I'm really surprised it's that high seeing the affluence in this area but then the definition of 'poverty' seems arbitrary from reading this thread

We're on below average income, no Sky, consoles etc but I don't feel deprived or even poor. I'm just very skilled at budgeting!

for the record i live in the far south of England

i practically have NO housing costs (contents and building insurance,general maintanance) but im mortgage free so my housing costs are tiny compared to rent or mortgage

and i am very good at budgeting and getting value for money,i learnt to from being skint years ago and have just made it away of life

so BlueJug makes a valid point

She's been on other threads saying she's on benefits and spends thousands at Christmas

uh i spend £1200 approx at christmas not thousands,please dont post things i havent said

yes i do spend a fare amount of my Disability benefit on my children do you have a problem with that also op