definition of the poverty line?

Chrysalis

welshcakes wrote:

According to a Mirror newspaper article in October,

"The government calculates poverty as a family of four surviving on an income of £210 from which living costs need to be paid.

But the ECPC (End Child Poverty Campaign) says that figure misses by a mile and it calculates that any couple with two young children and an income of £295 - after housing costs are paid - falls into the poverty trap."

"ALMOST 10 per cent of single cannot afford to buy more than one pair of shoes for their children.


THERE are currently 3.4 million children in poverty, 27 per cent of all British children.


THE UK has the fourth highest level of child poverty of all 25 European Union countries.


FOR the first time, children are more likely to live in poverty than the elderly.


AROUND five per cent of all children live in severe poverty.


A SINGLE parent with two children aged 5 and 11 needs £205 a week to rise above the poverty line.


THE highest concentration of child poverty is in London where 41 per cent of children live in poverty."

any stats on adult poverty?

krashovr10ad

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Hmmm - seems (like everything) there's no clear answer on this one... No wonder the Government cant do much about it...

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Tetsuko

zoezoe wrote:

Tax credits dont claim to bring all people above the poverty line. And think about it, if you moved everybody above the poverty line it would just go up !

The statistical definition of poverty is very different from the real definition. In this country there might be a high level of child poverty in the statistical sence but how many starving kids are there walking around with no shoes ?

Hmmm actually when I was a kid I had to rummage in the cupboards to find something to walk to school in. All I could find was an old pair of football boots, thankfully without the studs in. I was teased because I had rubbish clothes and clicked everywhere I walked. I also had no choice but to eat whatever junk my parents gave me. I would love to say that this was in the 1930's or just after the war but this was in the early 1980's

Just because poverty might not be seen in the leafy suburbs. It doesn't mean it isn't happening.

seven-day-weekend

Just worked it out; my husband and I have at the most £167 pw to live on.

Our son has £55 pw (JSA).

According to the stats above, we are all living in poverty?

astonsmummy

Its all about how people manage their money, i get £100pw for me and my son in benefits, plus £68 every 4 weeks child benefit, i am certainly not living in poverty, yet some people who get the same as me seem like they live in poverty.

roswell

I think poverty and wealth are both a perception, I woudl say the UK doesnt have Poverty, i woudl say poverty is the point where you have no income, not food and no shelter at that point i woudl say you are in poverty.

there was a e-mail i saw some time ago that if you have spare change anywhere eg matle piece / copper jar you are richer than 30 % of the worlds population.

nearlyrich

Poverty is when you have to choose betwen eating and paying an essential bill, sadly we have become a society where luxuries have become essentials and some people don't know the difference between need and want.

Three_Dancing_Dragons

Are any British children poor enough to starve? No. But are they all wealthy enough to eat well? I don't think so - why else the explosion in Breakfast clubs for kids who come to school without a meal and whose non-school dinner will probably be value oven chips and baked beans? Access to good quality fruit and veg is these days the privilege of the car driver who can get to an out of town supermarket unless you start a food co-op.

I sometimes wonder how much better off we are since I read ROUND ABOUT A POUND A WEEK. It's based on the findings of the Fabian Women's Group who did a London survey of the 'working poor' in London at the turn of the century. Get a copy from your library, it's an eye opener. Okay, no one is now so poor they can't afford milk to make porridge but the family eating habits for those on low incomes look spookily similar despite the welfare safety net.

Emmylou_2

In my experience though, it costs more to eat "cheap" processed food than it does to eat nutritious food that you cook for yourself from scratch. Maybe if people actually bothered to cook decent food rather than slam something from a freezer into the oven or microwave then they would find this out too. (I am basing this on previous neighbours of mine who had two small children, neither parent worked, got every benefit going but only ever fed the kids on processed food. I actually went shopping with the mum one day and couldn't believe the amount she spent on cr:mad:p!)

I was taught at school that the definition of poverty was not having what other people had (strangely similar to David Cameron's idea). I raised the point that if everyone else had two cars but you only had one, then you would be theoretically living in poverty but, actually, you wouldn't be. This was at age 15...

And yes, we were poor growing up. Mum was disabled and we lived with gran. In winter, if it got too cold, you put another jumper on without thinking. I started working at 14 and, during sixth form, I worked every weekend (and full time during the holidays) so I could contribute (and have nice things!). It annoys me when I see people on the dole but then smoking, drinking and having better clothes than me!!!

raq

I have worked for the past 20 years and it's only this year that we are now £50.00 a week better off because I am not working. I don;t intend to always be like this but for the time being charity starts at home. I was spending more money every week by going to work. Collections for some sort for time to time, petrol, making sure your tidy, and lunch.