Category Archives: poverty

Income poverty affects third of UK population

19.3 million people had disposable income of below 60% of national median in at least one year between 2010 and 2013

Almost a third of the UK population experienced income poverty in at least one year between 2010 and 2013, official data shows.

The figures, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Wednesday, show that approximately 19.3 million people had a disposable income of below 60% of the national median at some point during the four-year period.

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).

Amid growing poverty, councils have failed to save fund for those in need

From April 2015, a £180m a year hardship fund will be abolished. Councils have simply not made a strong enough argument for it

 

“Poverty can never be tackled simply through central government schemes. There is a growing need for more innovative approaches.”

Iain Duncan Smith‘s axe has struck again. This time its local authority welfare assistance schemes on the block. But we’re not talking reform or even cuts. The scheme had already been significantly cut last year. From April 2015 a £180m a year hardship fund will be abolished completely. That’s right. Scrapped. A vital safety net will no longer be there.

For years I’ve seen the value of crisis loans, which used to operate under the social fund until the government devolved funding last year, allowing councils to set up their own discretionary crisis funds. They’re a critical part of the welfare system to help people in desperate need.