A minimum income standard for the UK in 2015 | Joseph Rowntree Foundation

[Legal Beagles]

How much do people need to achieve an acceptable standard of living in the United Kingdom? Since 2008, JRF has published annual updates of the Minimum Income Standard (MIS) for the UK, to reflect changes in costs and living standards. The standard is based on what groups of members of the public identify as the... Read more »
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[PAWS]

Re: A minimum income standard for the UK in 2015 | Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Even the smallest shortfall in income can become a major fiscal crisis. Even if the figures did show many low income households had a small amount of disposable income this would not allow for any emergency expenses. This can lead to expensive borrowing which will often use up any disposable income or a deficit in which case a debt spiral begins.
Despite claiming to be aware of the issues faced by low income families, society, the legal system and the government still assume that most people living in poverty are simply irresponsible or incapable of budgeting or go on irresponsible spending sprees. I am sick of hearing mealy mouth, self-righteous pontificators say “people need to live within their means” or “my father always said neither a lender nor a borrower be”.
The cost of housing now eats up a much higher percentage of income than it did in the days of their ‘oh so perfect’ parents. Free or subsidised 3^rd level Education and apprenticeships were also available and dare I say there was less pressure on parents to allow their children to have just a few of the nice things their peers enjoy. Edwina Curry, when asked to comment on the number of people receiving goods from food banks said “in my parents day they put food on the table first”. How dare she. In her parents day she would have brought down the government had it been known she was carrying on with the PM. Dose she really think that a woman who cannot breast feed her baby because she is so malnourished herself has deliberately put herself in that situation?
Now many people have been wise enough to come onto LB’s (other sites and organisations are available!)And discover that they can put food on the table before they have to pay the loan sharks but I am not exaggerating when I say that there are many, many thousands out there that do go hungry because they pay the people bombarding them with legal threats or sticking their foot in the door threatening to take the telly. They are frightened, hungry and can see no hope.
When I read some of the more desperate posts on here they are written in the middle of the night –and these are the ones who have found a sanctuary.
Losing the telly, losing your home, losing every penny you have worked hard for is nothing compared to loosing hope.
Also, what this report does not allow for is that over the years the opportunity for people to educate their way out of this situation has disappeared. Parents of low income families know that their children may never be able to afford 3^rd level education and the opportunity of learning a trade has been whittled away as successive governments turned our country into a nation of wheelers and dealers.
Yes, we can exist when our income and expenditure are the same or we have a small amount of disposable income but what about the future. Forget just simply existing –people need a life and by that I do not mean foreign holidays or a bottle of wine every night. Give them a little bit of slack so they can plan ahead, retain their dignity and not live in fear. Give them a little hope.