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Child poverty is HOW much??

75 replies

UnquietDad · 10/06/2008 21:55

here

Am I the only one a bit at the definition??

£346 a week for a family of two?

If you'd stopped me in the street and grabbed me by the lapels and said "What's child poverty??" and forced me to put a figure on it, I'd have probably said "living on about less than £150 a week."

Shows how much I know.

OP posts:
FluffyMummy123 · 10/06/2008 21:56

Message withdrawn

UnquietDad · 10/06/2008 21:56

It's a phase I'm going through...

OP posts:
scorpio1 · 10/06/2008 21:57

i live in cornwall and alot of families i know dont even earn £200 a week, so that figure is waaaaay out IMO.

expatinscotland · 10/06/2008 21:57

That is before housing costs.

Is it also a gross figure?

morocco · 10/06/2008 21:58

(family of 4)

yep, I was a bit as well. we're not all that far off then!

morocco · 10/06/2008 21:58

(family of 4)

yep, I was a bit as well. we're not all that far off then!

morocco · 10/06/2008 21:58

oops

UnquietDad · 10/06/2008 21:58

When they say before housing costs, do they mean

housing costs have to come out of that

or

that's what's left after you've paid your mortgage/rent?

I don't quite get it.

OP posts:
WendyWeber · 10/06/2008 21:59

That's £18,000 gross for a family of 4 (not 2! You mean 2 kids, UQD?)

It does sound a bit on the high side as a definition of poverty.

ssd · 10/06/2008 21:59

we are well below that, but wouldn't say we live in poverty, very tight though

UnquietDad · 10/06/2008 21:59

Yes I meant family with two children, i.e. family of 4. The lone parent figure is £271.

OP posts:
WendyWeber · 10/06/2008 22:00

Before housing costs mean before they are paid (UQD, is English not your native language? )

UnquietDad · 10/06/2008 22:00

Works out at about a 17k salary.

Loads of jobs are advertised at around this.

Loads of skilled, proper, full-time jobs which require qualifications and experience.

And the people doing these are defined as being in poverty??

OP posts:
artichokes · 10/06/2008 22:01

Before housing costs would mean that houseing costs have to be paid out of that sum.

UnquietDad · 10/06/2008 22:01

oh come on, it isn't clear

OP posts:
artichokes · 10/06/2008 22:02

THat will be total income. Not just salary but any benefits received incl child benefit.

WendyWeber · 10/06/2008 22:02

£17k to support one adult is not bad.

How much would an unemployed family of 2 adults with 2 children receive in benefits (which are net of tax of course)?

expatinscotland · 10/06/2008 22:03

I'm assuming that's a gross figure. That's about £16,000/pa.

Now take off tax and NI. Now factor in housing - if you're renting privately in a big city, expect that to be around £700/month or about £8500/pa.

That'll be another £1000 or so off for council tax, a further £1000 or so for utilities.

Damn, you still have to eat and feed everyone.

Guess what? You're poor.

UnquietDad · 10/06/2008 22:03

Ahh, if it includes benfits that starts to make a small amount more sense.

OP posts:
UnquietDad · 10/06/2008 22:04

I'm not disputing anyone.

I just find it incredible that, if £16-17k pa is defined as poor, so many "good" jobs are advertised for that sum or under.

OP posts:
artichokes · 10/06/2008 22:06

It is a net figure. So it is a total income of just over £16k before tax. Total income, not just salary, all benefits two. Child benefit for two kids over a year is something like £1500 so you are looking at a salary of less than £14k before tax.

GodzillasBumcheek · 10/06/2008 22:06

We live on around £365 per week before paying rent. That's for 5 of us though. That is Jobseeker's allowance + Child Tax Credits + Housing Benefit for 2 adults and 3 children. I know at least 5 families who are on less than this per person and they are working households.

expatinscotland · 10/06/2008 22:06

Rising housing costs and fuel bills are rapidly starting to eat into these sums. Council tax, too.

In general, a person or couple earning £16,000 will not qualify for council tax benefit.

LittleBella · 10/06/2008 22:06

D'you know that pisses me off. By that definition I'm living in total poverty and yet my kids aren't entitled to free school meals or free milk.

Where's the logic?

LittleBella · 10/06/2008 22:07

Nobody ever talks about low wages as a political issue UnquietDad.

It's just not ever discussed in the media or anywhere really, ever,.