Category Archives: fuel poverty

Life on a low income in the UK today

Part of Solve UK poverty

Making ends meet when you have very little is extremely hard work. More than one in three families in the UK today – over two million families – have an inadequate income.

A new report by Loughborough University for JRF Falling short: the experiences of families living below the Minimum Income Standard looks at 30 families who are all living below the Minimum Income Standard (MIS). This is an income level determined by regular research asking the public what they think is required for an acceptable living standard in the UK today – including social participation as well as physical essentials. Some are managing to get by, but can’t imagine being able to stretch to a day trip or low cost family holiday. Others struggle to afford material necessities like food and school uniforms.

Find out more

 

Rising prices ‘hit poor the hardest’

  • by James Reed, Political Correspondent

A new report suggests thousands more people are living in absolute poverty than recorded by official figures.

Research by the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies argues that Government statistics fail to take into account the fact that the rising cost of living hits poorer families harder than those on higher incomes.

It found households with the lowest incomes have seen prices rise by 50 per cent in the last decade compared to 43 per cent for the wealthiest.

That translates into an extra 300,000 people in absolute poverty, the IFS says in research published by the York-based Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF).

Millions of elderly 'to lose vital care in funding shake-up'

Older patients too frail to get out of bed may not receive home help

  • Millions of elderly people could be denied home help, Age UK warns
  • More pensioners may have to rely on ‘flying’ 15-minute home visits
  • Ministers are currently drawing up plans for new national care system

By Sophie Borland

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Millions of elderly people could be denied vital care under a Government shake-up of the funding system, a leading charity has warned.

There are fears older patients too frail to get out of bed by themselves will be denied home help on the state because they are not deemed dependent enough.

Age UK also warns that further cuts to the social care budget will lead to many more elderly having to rely on ‘flying’ 15-minute home visits.

 

Warning: Elderly people could be denied vital care under a Government shake-up, Age UK has warned