To be sad about these latest UK figures of child poverty?

[Mamasaurus82]

"The number of children growing up in poverty in working households has increased by 800,000 since 2010, a new study suggests.
The TUC said its analysis indicated that child poverty in working families rose to 2.9 million cases last year, an increase of 38 per cent since the start of the decade."
How can this be allowed to happen?

Very interesting analysis @BarbaraofSeville

As a country, we have an issue with absolute poverty as well as relative poverty and the situation is very complex. As well as the many people who find themselves in tough situations driving poverty because they can't work, we also have severe social issues which contribute to how children are living (parental mental health issues, alcohol and drug dependency etc.). It is not a case of adding more to the social bill but taking a long look at society and how we need to tackle the issues (better health services, more social workers, supported teachers in schools etc.).

It feels like the fabric of our society is broken on many levels. I'm not sure it's purely an investment issue either, though there is of course adjustment required there too.

Hardly an impartial study if it comes from the TUC, is it?

Im not disputing working families are in povery etc.

However

I do think the source of info should be considered. In the lead up to a general election theres going to be a lot of stats thrown around. TUC is anti-conservative and therefore will use measurments that will give high poverty numbers. Whereas the conservatives will use measurements that will give low poverty stats. I think especially now info used in political propaganda should be taken with a pinch of salt.

I agree that the situation is about far more than money and that societal issues like mental health, insecure rentals, chaotic lifestyles, long hours working are also very important factors and often even more so than money.

Someone who lives near school, work and cheap supermarkets and can prepare healthy low cost food at home is going to be at an advantage financially compared to someone who for whatever reason ends up living on takeaways and ready made food from convenience stores or has significant transport costs to get to amenities like work, school, shops.

A lower income family that is unemployed/short hours but gets housing benefit and has little or no childcare costs might not necessarily be significantly worse off than a higher paid family with a mortgage and long working hours that necessitates significant childcare costs and the latter may have a lower disposable income after housing, travel and childcare is taken into account.

There will be plenty more people along to tell you it's all relative and therefor doesn't matter, start banging on about cooking healthy meals, luxuries and phones but YANBU.

fullfact.org/economy/poverty-uk-guide-facts-and-figures/

Even from more impartial sources the figures are still depressingly high.

In this day and age, everyone should at the very least be able to afford housing, food, utilities, and clothing. It is shameful that this is not the case and more needs to be done to address it.

Tory voters are collectively responsible for this depressing state of affairs imo

Absolutely disgraceful. No doubt of the 'I'm all right Jack' Tory bastards will vote them in again.

Cpag.org

I found a recent report and I think this group is using a definition of the absolute poverty level of £222/week after housing and childcare costs for a family with no children and an allowance of 40%, I.e. ~£311 / week for a family with two children (again after housing and childcare costs).
I am not sure what to think. I am a high earner, but technically I am in absolute poverty by this definition.

www.jrf.org.uk/report/budget-2018-tackling-rising-tide-work-poverty?gclid=Cj0KCQiA5dPuBRCrARIsAJL7oeg2LZ-DvqCtvh4W8gB7pNfX7f6w3Aty4ty08iGmbkkJ9XN6ht1KM1saArUuEALw_wcB

Have a look at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation information then, not as biased as the TUC may be.

It's very sad.

But an awful lot of those households in poverty will vote Tory.

Not sure what we expect when all sections of society keep sanctioning these policies.

I remember when I grew up the definition of poverty was not having a dishwasher. That was the 1980s so what is it now? Bty we were in that bracket

I remember when I grew up the definition of poverty was not having a dishwasher. That was the 1980s so what is it now? Bty we were in that bracket

Also that at the time didn't mean anything as we always had good food and clean clothing. The definitions matter as if they superficial they will be ignored

@littlebillie That is me fecked I still don't have a dishwasher.
In my youth it was keeping dinners warm on a pot of boiling water, little solid peas.
Years later as a teen I went to a friend's her DM was keeping the dinner warm on pots, her Dad had died, it was very sad.
Working poor is when you've 3 days till pay day and enough food and electric for 2.
Not working poor is no food or electricity for the days ahead and no pay day to count on.

The dishwasher in this house is currently typing this post. Joking aside it always makes me feel sad when i see chocolate advent calandars in the food bank donations.

These calandars will be used to count down to their Christmas but to what sort of Christmas. Will it just rub salt in the wounds.

So i tend to put selection boxes in.

The wealth of the nation doesn’t mean that there will be fewer poor people. And when we look at wealth per capita the UK is nowhere near close to the top 5. I live in a “wealthier” country than the UK and we have millions of people in poverty. But we gave greater regional variations in income. What might be a good wage in one state wouldn’t even be the legal minimum in another.

Anyway, for those blaming the Tories, what’s Labour’s answer? All I’ve seen so far is “free” broadband.

fullfact.org/economy/poverty-uk-guide-facts-and-figures/

even this group states
the markers for poverty are largely arbitrary
and
"It's worth noting that (as we’ll explain further down) there are some reasons to suspect that these figures may overestimate the number of people in poverty due to the way the data is collected."

so yes it is sad that any child lives in poverty BUT until the information is accurate nothing will change.

Anyone who votes tory should hang their head in shame.

It's important to remember that it's about relative poverty, and the way the numbers are compiled (having less than 60% of the median income) mean that poverty will never be irradicated, unless there are major major shifts in the equality of incomes - eg huge additional taxes or reductions of incomes on middle to high earners, including all those on £50-100k who claim to be 'not that well off really' to increase help to people on below average incomes, below about £30k pa.

Thank you Barbara. This definition of poverty needs to be redefined as it is meaningless.

The idea that 24%,or one in 4 children are 'living in poverty' in this country is absolutely ridiculous, sorry.

And things like not having a dishwasher is again a ridiculous criteria, as a lot of kitchens either just don't have the space and/or are rentals and landlords don't supply because it's another appliance to replace.

I'm not denying child poverty exists, but there needs to be a sensible definition, which is based on having less than £x after housing and bills (which would need to vary regionally to reflect cost of living), rather than being a % below average.

Ah the impartial TUC.

I get that people's idea of what poverty is can vary and I agree that it is ridiculous to think that without certain household appliances you are living in poverty, but the fact that poverty has been on the rise can be seen by anyone with their eyes open: the queues outside food banks, children coming to school without breakfast every day, friends that have been sanctioned out of the blue- all very real. If you are doubting the figures, surely you're saddened by the reality of austerity, unless you're in a bubble unaware of what real people are going through?

There was poverty under labour as well. Vote labour in and they’ll bankrupt the country and we will need austerity again. I vote Tory for the good of the country. Not for self gain. I’m minimum wage and working class. We are not all toffs.

Thanks Barbara for a non-biased, factual explanation of poverty. Sadly, however clearly written and self-explanatory, it still won't stop those who relish on sensationalism going on about how bad it is, and how so many children suffer because their parents can't make due with £400 a week after housing costs.

The reality is that there are children growing up in poverty, just not the number we want to believe. There are children growing in poverty because of dreadful circumstances that were out of control. There are children living in poverty because of the poor choices their parent(s) make and no extra money will improve their situation.

Cost of housing and childcare is the massive issue I think. My husband earns double minimum wage, yet with nearly £1000 a month rent and apparently not earning enough to even buy a most basic house in our area, money’s tight 🤷‍♀️Something somewhere has to change!