News
Covid Pandemic: Nearly 100 Million People Are In Poverty. Will The Rich Come To The Rescue?
December 27, 2021
January 23, 2024
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation's report unveils a stark reality: in 2021-22, 14.4 million UK residents, comprising 8.1 million working-age adults, 4.2 million children, and 2.1 million pensioners, grappled with poverty. Severe deprivation affected six million, requiring more than a doubling of their income to escape.
This deep poverty, impacting 22% of the population, marks a troubling increase of 1.5 million over two decades. Those in this category earn less than 40% of the country's median income after housing costs, necessitating an extra £12,800 yearly to reach the poverty line, defined as 60% of median income.
Illustrating the struggle, a family with two children under 14 living in poverty needs an additional £6,200 yearly, with their average income after housing costs at £21,900. The poverty gap has widened since the mid-1990s, now reaching £3,300 after adjusting for inflation.
Factors like illnesses, redundancies, and structural issues contribute to this persisting cycle of poverty. The report urges political parties to address this crisis by incorporating an essentials guarantee in Universal Credit, ensuring adequate coverage for necessities like food and energy.
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown highlights the inadequacy of Universal Credit, emphasizing the urgent need for reforms. The Trussell Trust, supporting over 1,300 food bank centers, predicts over 600,000 people relying on food banks from December to February, underscoring the severity of the cost of living crisis.
