Tell me more about the poverty line of £288 p.w.

[grumpyvamps]

Yesterday's Times said this was the poverty line (2 adults and 2 dcs) after housing and tax costs. Does this mean what's left for food, petrol, insurance etc? After rent and utilities?

Out of interest, I just checked the information on benefits for two adults and two children (over one) and weekly they'd get

CTC 98.84
JSA 102.75
CB 30.70
Total 235.29

So a family on benefits is only a little below the poverty line, but would get passported benefits like dental care, free school meals etc.

treacle, what about housing benefit?

what about it treacle?

The £238 is after housing costs have been taken into account.

I am confused now MaMoTTaT, do you mean the £288 is the amount judged to be poverty line after housing costs?

ahh - thought it was after housing costs.

Can't find the Times article.

However, the Daily Mail article on the same subject says that this figure only covers London - as the figures were published by Trust for London and only covers the capital

i live on £240 a wk after housing 1 adult and 3 kids and i think manage well,we eat well,new clothes,house is in fair repair,warm house,kids pocket money,football club

i admit im a real bargain hunter in terms of clothes and food and dont drive but NO way do i live in poverty as i think poverty

think peoples expectations lifestyle are very different

DaisySteiner said -
"To my mind poverty is an absolute thing ie. not being able to eat, feed, clothe yourselves and heat your house"

I think that's deprivation

DaisySteiner said -
"rather than being a relative thing depending on how much money other people have"

n interesting definition I heard a few years ago was, that poverty is being socially excluded by the lack of income. I can't remember the activities they listed at the time, but I got the idea.
TV, possibly, is becoming a good example, if you don't have Sky TV, you miss out on a lot of social interaction when conversation turns to stuff you've never heard of. Did you see the game last night? What a goal that was. - Ehm no I didn't see it.

There is a calculator online that you can work out where you fit into poverty line.

Can't to links as on phone but it's on instuite for fiscal studies site