Vocal Voices

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a pressure group on social policy, says that 'poverty' costs the UK £78bn a year. It bases its findings on those living below 60% of the median wage, and its list contains:

£29bn on treating health conditions associated with poverty

£10bn on schools providing free school meals and the pupil premium

£9bn on the police and criminal justice system for poorer people

£7.5bn on children's services

£4.6bn on adult social care

£4bn on housing

What the other £14bn is spent on is not clear.

Call me Mr Cynic, but what is the median wage? Throwing out the word is meaningless, give us the number. Once we have the number, does 60% of it really represent poverty in present day UK? And of all the things listed would they be eradicated if everyone was on the median wage or would some still need to be spent? If they are not eradicated then the £78bn is a fictitious figure.

Just to be clear. 60% of the median wage is £14,800 per year - £285 per week. It is not a King's ransom, but poverty?

The report is nonsense.

Many of the people who are classed as being in poverty, simply do not know how to spend their money wisely,
and think that necessities are the latest electronic devices. It's education they really require.

They sound just like those businessmen who pushed out the "anyone can work a solid day on xx calories". The Unions, in court, countered that by putting a plate of food containing the named calories in front of the court. Clearly it was not enough to keep a gown man working on a hard physical day of labour.

The same needs to be done to these people who want to spend billions of our money on the "impoverished". Whilst the truly impoverished languish in misery and never see a penny of the money. It is a total reversal of what those union men were doing back in the 50's. Many of them would be turning in their graves. I can just hear them "have you no pride?". They were all about an honest days wage for an honest days work. Not handing out money for people to waste...