WTH is going on?!

[hungryhippo90]

This isn't so much about my circumstances, but more about the circumstances of others,

Growing up we were on benefits, our family seemed to struggle more than most others In the same sort of financial situation, but I don't remember things being anywhere near as bad as many who are on UC and are finding themselves without benefits, being evicted etc.

I heard on the radio yesterday that there are a large portion of teachers who believe many childrens families won't be able to buy enough food over the holidays,

Now I've just read that 2/5 don't have £100 saved up.

I know a family with a working mum and a deceased dad, they go to the food bank a lot.

What I'm wondering is, am I right in thinking that instead of things getting better that they've gone sharply down hill over the past several years?

I don't understand how things seem to have got so much worse.

Are things going to continue to decline?
Why is this being allowed to happen?

There are people in work who are homeless due to the cost of housing.

Cuts to basic services mean that a lot of free or subsidised holiday programmes for children have been scrapped, or are priced beyond the means of families who would ordinarily be using them.

Charities have lost donations to the National Lottery, but are expected to pick up the slack created by austerity.

It's a mean, hard scrabble world all of a sudden.

I’m sorry but I don’t agree that it’s always, or even normally consumer debt, the lady I mentioned in my OP has nothing. She works 30+ hours per week. She lives in a council flat, she drives a little 18 year old car, her mobile is on a £10 a month rolling contract, she doesn’t buy her own clothes, a lady who she knows passes her a couple of black bin liners of clothes every 6 months or so, those around her chip in with whatever they can for the kids, in fact, last Christmas I turned up at her house on Christmas Eve with armfuls of gifts for her and the kids, she cried because the kids had 2 presents each from her and she hadn’t had a present for Christmas for years. She often has no Petrol to put in the car or food in the house, in fact, I remember one day I was having a sort out because our family were making an effort to eat better, you should have seen how excited she was.

It’s incredibly sad, she works but still can’t afford to feed her kids.

Snowman. Read more. Observe more.

arethereanyleftatall Sensible post.

Give over with your 'Torys are responsible' tosh. Lets be sensible and accept there are many reasons why people struggle to live on benefits and wages.

We need better financial understanding for a start. Sadly we are not allowed to question peoples ability to economise, their ability to seek out better deals, their ability to understand finances. Are they on the right benefits and getting what they are entitled to.

Just blaming the Tories suggests to me some do not have the ability to think laterally and educate themselves properly. 'find a problem = blame the Tories'.

Really interesting thread thanks op

I have a friend in the same situation. Council flat, works around 30 hours a week. Her total income is £2262 per month.

Council rent is around £380. She has more than enough money to feed her kids.
I wonder why your friends situation is so different. Is she claiming all of the benefits she is entitled to?
I agree, there are cases that are totally unrelated to consumer debt, and the excessive price of housing is a major factor in this. But most people I see struggling are are a result of consumer debt.

Oh look a soundbite. Totally lacking in reality.
It is everything to do with the economy. Do you know what 'the economy' is? It's not just invented figures flying electronically between banks over the Atlantic: it's the ability of ordinary people to put food in their mouths.
Do you really think the reduced wages and increased living costs are nothing to do with the reduction in that?

There will be issues on all sides: unfortunately those on the lower end are more to do with inheriting the disadvantage of centuries, those on the top end are more because they want the Georgian aristocratic lifestyle back and don't give a toss for those beneath them, and 'the middle', if we can even group them as that, are a hodge-podge. It's a bit too complicated for soundbites.

That was to Snowman, sorry, my refresh didn't work!

Snowman, I’m not 100% sure, she says she is getting everything she’s entitled to. I don’t want to be too much in her business but if she had any money I’m sure that somewhere along the lines she would have more of something.

The homelessness was something I’ve also read a lot about, I drive past a homeless charity centre every day, it’s sad to see how many homeless we actually have. Many, many. Many more homeless than I’ve ever known.

Also, just to point out, whilst on benefits as a child, I think we used the food bank twice, over my whole childhood. Some people are in the position where they regularly have no choice but to go.

People who are saying voting Tory is the problem- so what if labour got in magically every single food bank would close?

I’m lucky to not be particularly struggling financially, but it seems from my experience, I am a minority in that respect, it doesn’t stop me being concerned because I’m not directly impacted at the moment.

It is absolutely Tory austerity causing this. The effects of Brexit have barely been felt yet but yes it will get worse.

Wrong on the internet.....My point was you cannot blame every case of hardship on the economy or the tories and that our "buy now pay later" culture contribted to many cases of hardship.

No hippo, the situation is too bad to be simply resolved overnight by a Labour government but at least it would not be their policy to shame the poor and blame them for the circumstances they've been forced into.
"It's the same the whole, world over
Ain't it all a bleeding shame
Its the rich what gets the pleasure
It's the poor what gets the blame"
Music hall song c 1900

Things have become a lot worse for most people in UK over last 10-12 years. Standard of living has fallen, children in poverty has risen. Inequality has risen, though, so the wealthiest 10% are doing better.

This is definitely not a global phenomenon. It’s a direct result of Tory policy for austerity (in the name of reducing national debt, but went against advice from leading economists and countries who have come out of the financial crash better than we have. Our national debt has increased over this time). THE situation for the most vulnerable is dire. Malnutrition in children being reported by GPs, the use of foodbanks the only thing standing between families going hungry, homelessness rising. For many working families not in extreme poverty, standard of living has fallen. House prices risen, food and fuel costs increasing, job security and real wages fallen, cuts to public services.

Brexit is definitely having an impact, as the fall in the £ results in imports (food, fuel, manufacturing) being more expensive. Not to mention foreign holidays, if you’re in the relatively privileged position to afford them.

SNowman how do you live above your means when you've got no means?

You sound woefully ignorant. Trotting out the 'facts' as you've heard them from someone else.

@IVflytrap totally agree with you.
Tory austerity
Making sure the rich get richer (tax cuts etc)
Brexit a symptom of people feeling disenfranchised

And then of course Brexit referendum resulting in a drop in the pound and making things worse.
I'm a total remainer and I sincerely hope that I will be proven wrong, but I think things will get quite a bit worse (once Brexit actually happens) before they get better.
And, no, I don't think it will be short term pain for long term gain.
It will be long term pain.

Mark Carney thinks the economy is doing better so he's raised the interest rate.

I'm not getting into party politics Snowman, they're all as bad as each other. Buy now pay later is not new, it's what mortgages have always been - and the number of houseowners is reducing, so logically it would seem that buy now pay later is reducing. Ajas question is a good one. Why is putting food in one's mouth beyond the means of so many?

Neshoma, Carney is putting out warnings about the economy post-Brexit. The interest rate is going up to try to cool inflation, but concerns have been expressed about what the results combined with very slow growth. Inflation increasing and low growth, lovely. Just lovely.

Good thread op. I'm shocked that some posters still seem to believe that there are deserving poor and undeserving poor .
I live in an affluent area of the NW but even here jobs are going and food banks are needed. Nothing to do with people living above their means, everything to do with employers closing of cutting staff to the bone .

@Neshoma
So after 8 years of disastrous Tory austerity measures, we shouldn't blame the Tories?

If a country struggles financially, then an investment in infrastructure means a creation of jobs which in turn gives more money to consumers.
Austerity just cuts all that dead.
And it also didn't work in terms of reducing the national debt - it's tripled since the Tories took over.

And the national disgrace that is Universal Credit with its built in six week or more wait for payment

The biggest problem I see - and I've been an adult for a long time! - is rapidly reducing wages, race to the bottom, and in the South East, horrendously high rents etc

I looked up some stats the other day, to settle a debate at work. In East Sussex, the average wage is £22k. The average rent is £1,500 a month. Someone on the average wage takes home less than the average rent.

I was still a child ( just about) in the early 80's and we as a family struggled . The one think I can remember my mum saying was that it was the lack of choice, in anything, that dragged her down.
Me & DH were in a similar position in the early 90's and I understood exactly what she meant. The difference now is that both my parents and me & DH had options to help us ( in both cases starting businesses) that I just can't see happening for young people now.
My DC are lucky I suppose. They have family on both sides that will support them financially and emotionally if they needed it because we have the resources. Many don't through no fault their own.

I've worked within recruitment and careers field for fifteen years. Recently got 'laid off' (shafted) and am back in the job market. Wages have definitely decreased. The job I'm doing now commands around 15-16k , when I was last job hunting ten years ago it was around 16-18k.
Prior to the job I lost I was on 21k and that was with a ten year wage freeze. There's no way I can find equivalent salary in my area for my skillset now , hence me doing two minimum wage jobs whilst being a single mum with disabilities.
Anyone who has any illusions that it's not the government needs their head testing.
I, Daniel Blake might be clichéd and maudlin but it's fact. Families are struggling. Food banks are not a myth. One of my friends recently had to use a food bank, she's a successful working single mum. Another friend who has mh issues and four kids on her own regularly used food banks and shop lifts to feed her family.
Greedy people vote to leave the EU in order to scrap workers' rights and make it even harder to find a decent fairly paid job with good conditions.
And yes, the NHS is being sold off bit by bit. Prior to my careers role I worked in mental health for NHS for fifteen years. Huge swathes of NHS services have already been privatised.
Tory sympathisers will look everywhere else except than at the truth because their egos won't allow them to admit that their vote is shafting most of us.
Tory and leave voters lack compassion and empathy for anybody other than who's in their sphere or who the media tell them to care about.
I have no qualms in generalising this way. I've spoken to enough people to know that this is fact.

@smellsogelderberries did you consider moving somewhere else in Oz? Sydney house prices are outrageous! I’m in Perth and you can get a lovely 3 bedroomed house in the suburbs for under 500k, less if you are prepared to move further out.

Between DH and I, we earn around £55k a year before tax. We are entitled to no help. We eat fish finger sandwiches nearly every tea time as we just can't afford to keep buying fresh food. They're cheap, we like them and I can buy in bulk. DS is looked after by our parents during the week so they feed him breakfast, lunch and dinner. At weekends we just get creative with what we can afford. We don't go out unless it's somewhere free. We have a couple of luxuries at home (Netflix, car) but other than that, all our money goes into the house and bills. Without out parents we wouldnt be able to cope.