Four areas of Greater Manchester have some of the worst cases of deprivation and child poverty according to research out today
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s report puts Manchester, the second highest in the country,Salford in twelve place and Rochdale and Oldham ranking in the top 30
The study, the fourth in the Destitution in the UK series, reveals approximately 3.8 million people experienced destitution in 2022, including around one million children.
This is almost two-and-a-half times the number of people in 2017, and nearly triple the number of children.
Nearly three-quarters of people experiencing destitution are in receipt of social security payments, further evidence of benefit inadequacy.
Ad-hoc support from the Government, first during the pandemic and now to help with the cost of living, has not halted the rising level of destitution.
The authors recommend that Universal Credit should have an ‘Essentials Guarantee’ to ensure everyone has a protected minimum amount of support to afford essentials such as food and household bills.
An independent process should determine the Essentials Guarantee level, based on the cost of essentials. Universal Credit’s basic rate would need to at least meet this minimum amount, and deductions would not be allowed to reduce support below that level.
JRF’s chief executive, Paul Kissack, said . “The government is not helpless to act; it is choosing not to,” he said. “Turning the tide on destitution is an urgent moral mission, which speaks to our basic humanity as a country, and we need political leadership for that mission.”
A co-author of the study, Prof Suzanne Fitzpatrick, of Heriot-Watt University, described soaring destitution as “morally reprehensible” and said the UK state had abdicated its responsibility to society’s poorest. “There must be immediate action from all levels of government to tackle this social emergency,” she said.
