Poverty in the United Kingdom
Data based on incomes published in 2016 by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that, after housing costs have been taken into consideration, the number of people living in the UK in relative poverty to be 13.44m (21% of the population).
In 2019, Full Fact found that the British poverty rate is "almost exactly the same level as the EU average (17%)", much lower than the DWP figures due to differences in calculation methods between countries.
'[11] Over the course of the 1950s and 1960s, however, a "rediscovery" of poverty took place, with various surveys showing that a substantial proportion of Britons was impoverished, with between 4-12% of the population estimated to be living below the Supplementary Benefits' scales.
In 1969, Professor A. Atkinson stated that it seems fair to conclude that the proportion of the population with incomes below the National Assistance/Supplementary Benefits scale lies towards the upper end of the 4-9 per cent.According to this definition, 2-5 million Britons were trapped in poverty.
[18] In 1974, one-quarter of adult employees in Britain earned less than £27 a week (equivalent to £245.08 in 2024) or less before tax, only slightly above the officially defined poverty line for an average family.
A 2017 report by Middlesex University and Trust for London revealed that at least 2,000,000 workers in Britain are losing an estimated £3,000,000,000 in unpaid holiday pay and wages per year.
John McDonnell said the IFS analysis showed a "clear threat" to working people's living standards, while the Liberal Democrats said that the "savage cuts" would make millions of households poorer.
One in six workers had left the heating off despite it being cold to save on fuel bills, and similar numbers had pawned possessions in the previous year because they were short of money.
[58] Over a million vulnerable people with low incomes are experiencing worse poverty because they have to rent in the private rental sector since social accommodation is in very short supply.
Anne Baxendale of Shelter, said: "We are deeply concerned that the current freeze on housing benefit is piling a huge amount of pressure on to thousands of private renters who are already teetering on the brink of homelessness."
About 600,000 children with working parents became poor due to the government's benefit cuts and public sector pay limits, the report by the consultancy Landman Economics stated.
[68] Teachers and teaching assistants brought items into schools like food, sanitary products and toilet paper for children from families who were short of those things.
[71][needs update] Many poor people live in areas where there is no large supermarket nearby and must rely on corner shops where prices are higher and the food range is smaller.
Poor people in these areas cannot easily afford to buy fresh fruit and vegetables or to travel to large supermarkets where there is healthier food at lower prices.
[73] Citizens Advice maintains over one-third of people subject to the freeze on benefits have under £100 a month to live on after paying for rent, council tax, gas, electricity and food.
WHO maintains crowded housing, indoor air pollution, parental smoking, lack of breastfeeding, and malnutrition are known to increase the risk of childhood pneumonia.
Growing numbers of working parents find it more difficult to earn enough money for food, clothing and housing because of poor to no wage growth, reduction in welfare support and tax credits and the increasing cost of living.
"[86] Campbell Robb of Shelter said: "It's heart-breaking to think that so many people are having to make a choice between paying the rent and putting food on the table, or living in fear that any drop in income would leave them unable to cover their housing costs.
The sad truth is that far too many people in Britain right now are living in homes that just aren't up to scratch – from the thousands of families forced to cope with poor conditions, to a generation of renters forking out most of their income on housing each month and unable to save for the future.
The BMJ, a British peer-reviewed medical journal published: For the poorest in our society, up to 35% of disposable income will now be needed for food, compared to less than 9% for the more wealthy.
Re-emerging problems of poor public health nutrition such as rickets and malnutrition in the elderly are also causes for concern.In 2016, 10% of British households lived in fuel poverty.
[91] In a 2013 report commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation[92] poverty and participation are analysed as a social phenomenon characterising British society following the tradition initiated several decades ago by Peter Townsend.
In 2017, The Samaritans said that the British economic condition – including low incomes, job insecurity, zero-hours contracts, unmanageable debts and poor housing – all add to suicide risk.
Torsten Bell of the Resolution Foundation, said that low- and middle-income families with children were set to be the worst affected by inflation rises, productivity flatlines and slow employment growth.
Bell said: "This could leave Britain with the worst of both worlds on living standards – the weak income growth of the last parliament and rising inequality from the time Margaret Thatcher was in Downing Street.
[95] Conservative attitudes began to grow during the time of the Labour Party in government during the 2000s, culminating in an overall negative opinion towards public spending increases beginning in the 2010s.
[106] As opposed to measuring income, the Consensual Method examines which necessities (e.g. food, clothing, access to healthcare, involvement in social and leisure activities) are thought by the general public to be essential for living in contemporary British society.
Poverty is a result of several different factors, some of which include a lack of education and training, low participation in the labour market, poor working conditions and affordable housing.
Ways that would help to increase benefit take-up include: A decrease in poverty would mean a more active economy because more people would have the ability to purchase more consumer goods.
The headlines began when David Cameron's policy advisor and shadow minister Greg Clark wrote: "The traditional Conservative vision of welfare as a safety net encompasses another outdated Tory nostrum – that poverty is absolute, not relative.
