Society & Culture3 mins ago
Tower Hamlets worst for child poverty?
16 Answers
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16483257
How is it that in today's Britain any child can be classed as living in poverty?
And how is it that some areas are worst than others, surely no matter where one lives, everyone is is eligible for the same state help?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14014817
/// Plans for a maximum limit on the amount of benefits one family can claim a year from 2013 - of about £26,000 - were announced at the Conservative conference last October. ///
/// It is estimated the £500-a-week cap, which would apply to the combined income from benefits such as jobseekers allowance, housing benefit and council tax benefit, could result in about 50,000 families being about £93 a week worse off. ///
£500 per week that's not a bad weekly income, by any stretch of imagination.
How is it that in today's Britain any child can be classed as living in poverty?
And how is it that some areas are worst than others, surely no matter where one lives, everyone is is eligible for the same state help?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14014817
/// Plans for a maximum limit on the amount of benefits one family can claim a year from 2013 - of about £26,000 - were announced at the Conservative conference last October. ///
/// It is estimated the £500-a-week cap, which would apply to the combined income from benefits such as jobseekers allowance, housing benefit and council tax benefit, could result in about 50,000 families being about £93 a week worse off. ///
£500 per week that's not a bad weekly income, by any stretch of imagination.
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jackthehat
/// Can you provide details of the weekly out-goings of these people? ///
In terms of what?
Size of TV screen purchased?
Latest smart phone?
Style of trainers?
Year of car?
How many cigarettes a week bought?
Trips to the Bookies?
Amount of scratch cards purchased?
The choice of Lager, Cider, Whisky, Vodka?
Amount of overdraft on credit card?
Holidays abroad?
If non of these, then surely £500 is enough for Food, Fuel, and Clothing and all other necessary outgoings?
/// Can you provide details of the weekly out-goings of these people? ///
In terms of what?
Size of TV screen purchased?
Latest smart phone?
Style of trainers?
Year of car?
How many cigarettes a week bought?
Trips to the Bookies?
Amount of scratch cards purchased?
The choice of Lager, Cider, Whisky, Vodka?
Amount of overdraft on credit card?
Holidays abroad?
If non of these, then surely £500 is enough for Food, Fuel, and Clothing and all other necessary outgoings?
By far, the largest outgoings will be rent and council tax.
If the Local Authority caps the amount of 'rent' it will pay on behalf of a claimant, which particular scenario do you envisage?
a) The Landlord will say, "No. That's quite alright...you continue to live in my property and I'll be happy to accept a below-the-market rental for it."
b) The Landlord will say, "Not my problem...you'll have to make up the shortfall in cash yourself."
c) The Landlord will say, "Sling your hook, I shall let this property out, privately, at full market rental."
If the Local Authority caps the amount of 'rent' it will pay on behalf of a claimant, which particular scenario do you envisage?
a) The Landlord will say, "No. That's quite alright...you continue to live in my property and I'll be happy to accept a below-the-market rental for it."
b) The Landlord will say, "Not my problem...you'll have to make up the shortfall in cash yourself."
c) The Landlord will say, "Sling your hook, I shall let this property out, privately, at full market rental."
You are correct aog, if you have a roof over your head, heat, clothing, food and water then you are not in poverty. Nobody should be recieving huge amounts of housing benefit just because they want to live in a certain area. The rest of us who work have to live where we can afford, the same should apply to benefit claiments. Also if anyone on benefits can afford computers, cars, holidays, large screen tvs etc then they are obviously getting too much.
The same utter rubbish being spouted as usual I see.
Take a slightly different scenario- take rural poverty- usually caused because the house rental prices for the pretty villages are now extortionate thanks to escape to the country yuppies who have displaced people who were born and bred there. In the village I live in there is no bus service, therefore anyone looking for work who lives there really HAS to have a car otherwise it's just not viable to get anywhere. Add these two things together and you have the local council being prepared to pay £91 per week for a cottage I let when I can actually get in excess of £150 pw for it privately, and someone who is living in it who has to own a car. If that person is made redundant then they have a massive shortfall to catch up and the choice between trying to do so or uprooting their kids from a vilage school and environment and taking them to live on the one of the ex authority estates which are frankly like Beirut. Not everyone on benefits with a car is a workshy git trying to spnge off the state, some people just find themselves in really dure straits through no fault of their own- and penalising them by cutting their housing benefit really will just make matters worse by creating ghettos from which some people will never escape.
Take a slightly different scenario- take rural poverty- usually caused because the house rental prices for the pretty villages are now extortionate thanks to escape to the country yuppies who have displaced people who were born and bred there. In the village I live in there is no bus service, therefore anyone looking for work who lives there really HAS to have a car otherwise it's just not viable to get anywhere. Add these two things together and you have the local council being prepared to pay £91 per week for a cottage I let when I can actually get in excess of £150 pw for it privately, and someone who is living in it who has to own a car. If that person is made redundant then they have a massive shortfall to catch up and the choice between trying to do so or uprooting their kids from a vilage school and environment and taking them to live on the one of the ex authority estates which are frankly like Beirut. Not everyone on benefits with a car is a workshy git trying to spnge off the state, some people just find themselves in really dure straits through no fault of their own- and penalising them by cutting their housing benefit really will just make matters worse by creating ghettos from which some people will never escape.
The problem with so-called “Child Poverty” is it is a comparative measure and not absolute.
When I was at school, I understood someone living in “poverty” to be unable to afford the basic necessities of life: shelter, food, water. Today in the UK “Child Poverty” is said to be suffered by those children living in households with an income below 60% of the median average income (after housing costs). Until quite recently average income has been rising at a much higher rate than the cost of living. This means that the “poverty line” said to be experienced by poorer families has been steadily increasing with the result that those now allegedly “in poverty” (definition: neediness, destitution, privation) are nothing of the sort. Many of them suffer no material deprivation to speak of and, in many cases their disposable income is often greater than those who are not so “poverty stricken”.
The previous government suggested that poverty should no longer be defined as not having the basic necessities of life, but more as not having what everybody else has got. And that’s why so many children are said to be living “in poverty”.
When I was at school, I understood someone living in “poverty” to be unable to afford the basic necessities of life: shelter, food, water. Today in the UK “Child Poverty” is said to be suffered by those children living in households with an income below 60% of the median average income (after housing costs). Until quite recently average income has been rising at a much higher rate than the cost of living. This means that the “poverty line” said to be experienced by poorer families has been steadily increasing with the result that those now allegedly “in poverty” (definition: neediness, destitution, privation) are nothing of the sort. Many of them suffer no material deprivation to speak of and, in many cases their disposable income is often greater than those who are not so “poverty stricken”.
The previous government suggested that poverty should no longer be defined as not having the basic necessities of life, but more as not having what everybody else has got. And that’s why so many children are said to be living “in poverty”.
>> £500 per week that's not a bad weekly income, by any stretch of imagination. <<
i would love to win £500 on the lottery aog it is the only way i would see that kind of money
i know of a family who would love that kind of money
just before christmas they could smell gas , gas board came out and did not just cut the fire off they cut off all her gas so she had no cooker.
not sure who supplied it but she ended up with a tiny little electric blow heater
and a two ring electric for cooking meals
lucky for her we have not had the freezing weather because that is her only heat for a three bedroomed house
do you honestly think she gets anywhere near £500 ?
i would love to win £500 on the lottery aog it is the only way i would see that kind of money
i know of a family who would love that kind of money
just before christmas they could smell gas , gas board came out and did not just cut the fire off they cut off all her gas so she had no cooker.
not sure who supplied it but she ended up with a tiny little electric blow heater
and a two ring electric for cooking meals
lucky for her we have not had the freezing weather because that is her only heat for a three bedroomed house
do you honestly think she gets anywhere near £500 ?
Any ideas why this would be?
I would hazard a guess that asylum seekers and other immigrants into this country, have an expert provided who is skilled at arranging that they get the maximum benefits due to them.
Whereas the ordinary Jill or Joe have to approach the minefield of the benefits system all on their own.
I would hazard a guess that asylum seekers and other immigrants into this country, have an expert provided who is skilled at arranging that they get the maximum benefits due to them.
Whereas the ordinary Jill or Joe have to approach the minefield of the benefits system all on their own.
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