Millions of people on the lowest incomes would need to double their income just to escape poverty according to a report out this morning
Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) flagship UK Poverty report reveals that it is now 20 years and 6 prime ministers since there was a sustained fall in poverty.
Six million of the poorest people – those living in very deep poverty – would need on average to more than double their income to move out of poverty.
The report finds that over one in five people in the UK were in poverty in 2021/22
This equates to 14.4 million people in total, with 8.1 million working-age adults, 4.2 million children and 2.1 million pensioners living in poverty
Nearly two-thirds of working-age adults in poverty live in working households. This has increased by 3 percentage points, from 61% to 64%, between 2020/21 and 2021/22
The number and proportion of children and pensioners in poverty rose between 2020/21 and 2021/22, as well as overall poverty
Around two in every ten adults are in poverty in the UK, with about three in every ten children being in poverty
The British public, they say is more conscious of rising poverty levels in society. Since 2017, the majority agree that the government should increase tax and spending on health, education and other social benefits.
Paul Kissack, Group Chief Executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, says:
“It has been almost twenty years and six Prime Ministers since the last prolonged period of falling poverty in the UK. Instead, over the last two decades, we have seen poverty deepen, with more and more families falling further and further below the poverty line.
“Little wonder that the visceral signs of hardship and destitution are all around us – from rocketing use of foodbanks to growing numbers of homeless families. This is social failure at scale. It is a story of both moral and fiscal irresponsibility – an affront to the dignity of those living in hardship, while driving up pressures on public services like the NHS.
“It’s a story which can – and must – change. Governments are not powerless to act, as we have seen throughout our history. One way politicians can take action in the next parliament is to enshrine in law a guarantee that people will always be able to afford the essentials, such as food and household bills, through our benefits system.
“2024 will be a year of choices, and any political party wishing to form a new Government must set out a practical and ambitious plan to turn back the tide on poverty in the UK. That plan – to ensure the dignity and respect of every member of our society – will be essential for achieving any broader ambitions for the country”.
