Child poverty is HOW much??

[UnquietDad]

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.

There are alot of different ways of measuring poverty, one is assessing material things that a family owns, how many cars/ holidays etc they have, there's another that looks at the national average wage, anyone below this is classed as living in poverty. I'm gusssing that this is where they have got the figure from. We could feed a whole family in africa for 2 years on this though, so it's not quite fair. It's all a pile of crap really.

sorry, that's going off a topic i started...

agree it's not clear Unquietdad - also they have a high definition of poverty and it's shocking that other posters are living below the poverty level but aren't eligible for benefits.

I've got a £332 gas bill that I don't know how we are going to pay for a wee while.

We do not have the money in overdraft just now for it and need to buy food.

I just hope they don't send an overdue notice before DH gets paid at the end of the month.

UD it could be something as simple as they've had a present from someone.

Last year my my aunt inherited a load of money. She gave me a car and bought me a new fridge, dishwasher, freezer and laptop. She has paid for me to go on the first holiday I've had for 4 years with the children. She's just put some money in my savings account with strict instructions to buy a new front door.

I'm sure lots of people think I'm fiddling the tax credits. It would certainly look like it to an outsider who didn't know my circumstances.

Godzilla, You don't have to explain again to me. I know all the ins and outs being a single mum. I would do whatever brought in the right amount of money we need to get by albeit in work or not . I'm just wondering if the governments official poverty figure puts us on the line. Not sure what they take into account, that's all.

We've also had presents from family.

The house we live in is rented, and our landlords are very generous and we are using their TV, laptop, even their bed.

They gave us an old car, which is currently sitting in the driveway as it needs a repair we cannot afford just now.

3 children and 2 adults here and ermm after mortgage and tax etc we are on a lot less than that a week

People on benefits can afford some luxuries by budgeting too

And AE...sorry i snapped then!

I think that it is important to realise that this is a very broadbrush way of measuring a problem, and especially when you are looking at a figure before deducting housing costs. The quality of housing available, its cost and the potential housing benefit available varies hugely amongst families at this level of income. In many areas there is simply not enough social housing available.

No problem.

Depends what you class as luxury Godzilla

UQD it is poor if you sustain a family on four on that amount. I was not poor when I was responsible for only myself on such a salary, prior to marriage and kids.

Well, everything barring utilities, food and shelter is theoretically a luxury. And there are even saving to be made where they are concerned. An LCD TV might take priority over, say, a landline and cable TV for a year, and a few nights out drinking.

Anyway will have to continue arguing debating another time cos i'm off to bed. DH is tired, lol (bless 'im).

Quintessntial - you're right, and I suppose a lot of those jobs are assumed to be second wage.

"Yes AAE that's what's so ridiculous about it. If you have £2000 coming in a month and your mortgage is £200 a month, you're rich. If you have £2000 coming in and your mortgage is £1200, you're poor.

It's absurd to exclude housing costs. Mind you they exclude them from inflation as well. If they didn't the official figure would be in the region of twelfty zillion billion hundred exty."

LB, that sums it up nicely. It is not just mortgages, in my last flat I became friendly with the single mother living in the identical flat opposite - she had been lucky enough to get a decent council flat and was able to live very comfortably. Though my income was notionally much higher than hers, after paying the extortionate private rent I was left with far less to live on.

The accomodation situation makes gamblers of us all - older people who never had massive mortgages or the insecurity of short-assured-tenancies often don't realise how badly our lives can be impacted if unlucky enough to have failed to get on the property ladder before the house price boom. It is a crying shame that, under these circumstances, decent social housing is in such short supply - also rarely discussed in the media.

Because social housing doesn't make money. So it's not important - nor do children or carers or elderly, so again, not a priority topic.

Then there's the dichotomy of people having to work longer, because they are living longer (fair enough), but no more really done about ageism in employment than about non-living wages topped up by the taxpayer.

A major problem i am personally having atm is housing costs. There is NO chance whatsoever that we will be given social housing (unless we accept one down the streets where there are frequent housefires and every other house is boarded up or broken windowed). A family with 2 adults and 3 children get £95 in housing benefit per week (approx £411 per month), which will afford us rent in a similar part of town to the social housing we have been offered.
So here i stay in my 2 bed. I imagine in other parts of the UK it's even worse because rents are higher.

We left Edinburgh because rents there were about £750-£800+ for a two bed flat. You could rent ex council, but if you wanted a good area you were still looking at £550 or so or more for two bed.

Council? Forget it if you were married and low income/working poor.

"People on benefits can afford some luxuries by budgeting too"

Very true,

The salary being used is what? £14k per year. As a family income? That's not much. Of course poverty is relative and to someone living in the third world, it's untold of riches. But I would say that there aren't many parts of the UK where an annual family income like that wouldn't mean a great deal of anxiety over money and tight budgetting.

I agree with expat that alot of people who work are poorer than people on benefits, which is wrong.

When I was still with xp, we were regularly up shit creek, as he earnt a very low income. We were always behind with bills and regularly ran out of money for food etc.

Now a single mum of three I am better off, although that is partly down to that fact that I am alot better at sorting my bills etc.

However, for me personally, I'd rather be working and a bit poorer, than have to live with the stigma attached to being a single mum.

It depends why you're on benefits- a stonking nu,mber sre on benefits for disability etc, I'm not sure thast they should be placed into p[overty.

However for general unemplyent it' very different- I would agree then, although i'd be unwilling to make benefits too low as there are some people (few but some) who would take from the kids to buy tjeir beer etc and thats unacceptable

It amazes me how the disabled people I know all manage to work, even at low paid jobs. Even though doing these jobs is a hundred times harder for them.

"although i'd be unwilling to make benefits too low as there are some people (few but some) who would take from the kids to buy tjeir beer etc and thats unacceptable" Peachy, you think those people don't do that now?

Of course they do upwind- but more would if the benefits were lowered is all. And the ones that already lose would lose more.

Yes many disabled work and do marvellously- but some simply cannot- they are way too ill, or whatever. No matter how great access to work is made (and I hope it's good enough to help my ds's who I believe could work if enabled), there will alwys be some that just cannot.