Making UK poverty history

w of all is
The worst blo your fellow
of
the contempt many families
citizens. I and contempt.
live in that

e
ent of thre
A single par
children fr
om N orth Lo ndon
I just feel very a
sometimes that peo ngry
ignorant of the fa ple are
ct
are humans as w that we
ell
do need to be res and we
pected.
Nursery nurse
from Coventry
This booklet has been produced by:
British Overseas NGOs for Development (BOND)
BOND is the UKs broadest network of 290 voluntary organisations
working in international development.
www.bond.org.uk

End Child Poverty Coalition

End Child Poverty is a coalition of organisations from the voluntary,
private and public sectors campaigning to ensure that the goal of
eradicating child poverty becomes a reality.
www.ecpc.org.uk

Oxfams UK Poverty Programme

This programme was created in 1996, in response to the growth in
poverty and inequality in the UK. Oxfams experience of working with
communities around the world brings new perspectives and approaches
to tackling poverty at home.
www.oxfamgb.org/ukpp

Trades Union Congress (TUC)

With member unions representing over six and a half million working
people, the TUC campaigns for a fair deal at work and for social justice
at home and abroad.

TUC Unemployed Workers Centres

There are more than fifty TUC Unemployed Workers Centres across
Britain, providing advice and representation on welfare issues. Their
staff and volunteers are visited daily by claimants suffering from poverty
and a benefit system which appears stacked against them, and they
respond by campaigning with unemployed people for a better way.
www.tuc.org.uk

2 Making UK poverty history

Contents
Poverty in the UK? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

What is poverty in the UK really like? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

What can I do? Finding out more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Who are we talking about? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

What can I do? Raising awareness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Poverty facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Why do people live in poverty? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

What about benefits? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

What is the government doing about poverty? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

What can I do? Lobbying for change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Are fewer people living in poverty? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

What can I do? Rising to challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

What about the gap between rich and poor? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

What can we do? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Get Heard giving people in poverty a voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

A tale of London citizens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

What can I do? Changing the way you live . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Making UK poverty history 3

Poverty in the UK?
In 2005, MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY mobilised millions of people.
Together they challenged wealthy governments to do more to
tackle poverty in developing countries. The campaign has been
remarkably successful in changing peoples attitudes to poverty
and in getting politicians to listen and act.
Whereas before many people believed that debt relief and fairer trade
were important, few thought that governments in the UK and elsewhere
could be made to prioritise global poverty. That has all changed now.
But we know that poverty doesnt only exist in developing countries. Not
everyone who lives in the wealthier countries of the world is a rich, privileged
consumer. Many have been left behind in a parallel financial universe, living
from hand to mouth with no bank account, few local shops, and constantly
juggling bills and debts.
The figures paint a bleak picture. In Britain, one in five people is living in
1
poverty, many of whom go without basic necessities such as a warm coat
and decent shoes.2 Poor children are disadvantaged even before they are
born. A child born into poverty is more likely to weigh less at birth, and
is twice as likely to die before his or her first birthday,3 or to leave school
without qualifications, than one from a more affluent family.
Whilst material poverty is
more severe in developing How is poverty measured?
countries, the underlying
causes, the ways in which
A commonly used measure is that
people are affected and the
those living on less than 60 per cent
way they are treated, are very
of median disposable income are
similar. In Britain, as in many
living in poverty thats 98 per week
other countries, there is
for a single person with no children,
unequal power and wealth
182 for a lone parent with two
and a lack of political will
children (aged 5 and 11) and 210 for
to put poverty at the top
a couple with one young child.
of the agenda.

4 Making UK poverty history

What is poverty
in the UK really like?
Beyond the statistics,

we need to understand I am scared to be old
what living in poverty and need help in this
is really like. This means
country now. My husband
listening to what men,
was the lucky one he
women and children
say about it. died. Even in death he
had no dignity though;
Its not just about having
enough money to live on or to I had no money, so he
plan for the future although went into a paupers
this is key. Its also about the
way people living in poverty
are regularly regarded with
contempt and disrespect,
at school, in the community and
in the newspapers. When youre
grave and so will I.
Elderly pensioner from
Hackney, London
treated like this its hard not to feel ashamed and worthless, which
undermines your ability to support yourself and your family and to
get out of poverty.
Two Indian community workers who visited poor areas of the UK in the
1990s observed that although people appeared to be generally much
wealthier in the UK than in India, poor people seemed much more
stigmatised and demoralised, and often have a complete lack of hope.
There is a safety net of welfare which ensures you dont starve but
4
this also creates the illusion that things are not so bad.
The United Nations Development Programme regards poverty as the lack
of ability to live a long, healthy and creative life; to be knowledgeable,
and to enjoy a decent standard of living; to enjoy dignity, self-respect,
and the respect of others. It sees a life of respect and value as a key
5
aim of human development.

Making UK poverty history 5

 What can I do?

Finding out more

To get active in tackling poverty, it helps to know as much as you
can about it.

> Use the internet to read up on poverty

You can find briefings and news at the TUC
(www.tuc.org.uk/welfare), the End Child Poverty coalition
(www.ecpc.org.uk) and at Oxfams UK Poverty Programme
(www.oxfamgb.org/ukpp/poverty). For information on the
UN International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, see
www.oct17.org

> Sign up for email alerts on poverty issues

You can sign up for regular e-bulletins from the TUC on a range
of subjects (www.tuc.org.uk). You can also register a key word
like poverty as an alert with a search engine such as Google
(www.google.co.uk/alerts?hl=en) to receive a daily listing.

> Read a book

Danzigers Britain: A Journey to the Edge by Nick Danziger
Hard Work: Life in Low-pay Britain by Polly Toynbee
Dark Heart: The Shocking Truth About Hidden Britain
by Nick Davies

6 Making UK poverty history

Who are we talking about?
Often people living in poverty are labelled, especially
by the media or politicians, as an underclass, as
scroungers and benefit cheats people who milk the
system, and even threaten the livelihoods and security
of the rest of society. But this language is not just
offensive and stigmatising, it also ignores the fact that
living on benefits is really tough, and that many poor
people make huge efforts to support their families and
want to get off benefits. Women in particular struggle
to protect their children from the worst effects of poverty.
And whilst government
ministers regularly praise

the efforts of hard-working
families, this can imply that
those who are not in paid
work do not matter, and
reinforces the long-standing
notion of the deserving and
undeserving poor. This not
only hurts many poor people
it also distances us from
them, and makes it less
likely that the majority of
the UK public will support
All they have in front
of them is more of it
constantly taking it in turns
to sell things, pawn things,
use a credit card. All their
children know is poverty,
being told to keep quiet
when the bailiffs call, then
the screams and tears

a concerted effort to when they get in.
eradicate poverty.
Lone parent from Glasgow

Making UK poverty history 7

 What can I do?

Raising awareness
If you want to do something about poverty in the UK, reading this
pamphlet is a great start. When youve finished, why not give it to
someone else to read?

> Get more copies of this pamphlet

Get in touch with Richard Exell at the TUC on rexell@tuc.org.uk
or 020 7636 4030 to order more copies of this pamphlet.

> Spread the message

Talk about the problems of poverty and what needs to be
done to everyone you know. Use all your networks your
circle of friends, your school or college, your place of
worship, your workplace.

> Give a talk

Why not organise a lunchtime or after work discussion on the
causes and effects of UK poverty? Or you could ask to speak
at school assemblies or local organisations. Organisations
like Rotary Clubs, Mothers Union branches and Womens
Institutes meet regularly and need speakers on interesting
topics. Your local library will have a list of organisations
in your area.

8 Making UK poverty history

Poverty facts

> One in four children, one in five working age adults and
roughly one in five older people live in poverty.

> Life expectancy at birth is 7.4 years more for male

professionals than for unskilled manual workers. Poor areas
also come off worse life expectancy is 69 years in Glasgow,
compared to 79 in North Dorset.6

> Black and minority ethnic groups in the UK are especially

vulnerable to poverty. Among Pakistanis and Bangladeshis,
55 per cent of adults, and 63 per cent of children, live
in poverty. 7

> Women are 5 per cent more likely than men to live in poverty.
But the real figure is likely to be higher, as resources are
8
frequently not shared equally within the family.

> Lone parent families are at particular risk of poverty. 42 per

cent of children living in poverty are living with a lone parent.9

> Over three quarters of individuals in households where the

head or spouse is unemployed live in poverty. 10

> Over 100,000 children do not have a permanent home,11

and the number of homeless families is rising.

> A family with no disabled members has a one in five chance

of being poor. If they have a disabled child, this rises to one
in four. If they have a disabled adult as well, it rises to one
in three.12

Making UK poverty history 9

Why do people live in poverty?
Some say people are poor because they are lazy, irresponsible
or inadequate. They say that we live in a land of opportunities,
so if anyone fails to take them up, its their own fault. But we
cant explain away poverty as the result of individual failure.
Poverty is fuelled by a range of factors, including family breakdown, poor
education, living in sub-standard housing and inadequate services. All
these factors are linked, creating a chain which is difficult to break. Poverty
is also strongly linked to being out of work, though those in work are often
poorly paid too half of all children living in poverty have a working parent.
If you are disabled or from an ethnic minority community you will face
prejudice and hostility that makes it even harder for you to make a decent
living. If you are a woman you will often have additional responsibilities
as a carer, making it harder for you to get and keep a job. You might have
to manage several low-paid jobs, such as cleaning, telephone sales or
checkout work, on top of looking after your family.
Whilst some people are trapped in poverty for years, others may be
temporarily unable to provide for themselves, due to some personal
or economic crisis beyond their control.

10 Making UK poverty history

What about benefits?
People often think that benefits provide enough to live on. But
consider the actual amounts (56.20 per week for everything
except housing costs and council tax, for a single unemployed
person 13) and all the different things you have to buy with that
money to live a normal life.
Some people believe that asylum seekers are receiving massive handouts,
but in fact they face some of the most severe poverty in the country. Many
are refused all government support and can be left destitute, with the risk
of their children being taken into care.14 Those who do qualify for support
only receive 39.44 per week15 30 per cent lower than income support
rates for a UK citizen.

What is the government

doing about poverty?
The government has pledged to end child poverty in a
generation (by 2020), halving it by 2010/11. The number
of people living in poverty has started to go down in
recent years owing to a number of government measures,
particularly designed to help young children and families.
But it looks increasingly likely that the Government will miss its first target
of lifting 1 million children out of poverty by 2005, making it even tougher
to meet the 2010 target without a fairer distribution of income. The UNs
Human Development Report 2005 praises the government for its efforts
to tackle child poverty since 1997, but argues it needs to consider raising
16
taxes if that progress is to be kept up.

Making UK poverty history 11

 What can I do?

Lobbying for change

Persuading those in authority to change the policies that hurt people
in poverty is vital. You might not think that letters and emails could
make a difference, but politicians take them very seriously indeed.
One MP said: If I get five letters a week on one subject, I take notice.
If I get twenty, I get worried.

> Write to your MP

Stay in regular contact with your MP and write to him or her about
the issues that concern you. It can be worth asking your MP to put
a question to a relevant government minister or department. Your
MP can be reached at House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA.
There is an excellent website called Write to Them
(www.writetothem.com) which will tell you who your
MP is and then help you send a fax or email for free.
You can also find out what your MP has been saying in
Parliament and how he or she has voted on key issues at
the website They Work for You (http://theyworkforyou.com).

> Write to the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer
Send copies of letters you write to your MP to the people at the
top. Keep on reminding them that poverty is an important issue
that isnt going to go away.
Write to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street,
London SW1A 2AA.
Write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer at HM Treasury,
1 Horse Guards Parade, London SW1A 2HQ.

12 Making UK poverty history

Are fewer people living
in poverty?
Since this government was first elected in 1997 the number of
people living in poverty has fallen by 1.8 million. Children and
pensioners have fared best, with some 700,000 children and
700,000 pensioners lifted out of poverty.
But we know that poverty has increased among certain groups. Couples
with no children and economically inactive households have not been a
priority for this government. The number of working age adults (without
children) living in poverty has increased from 3.3 million to 3.7 million since
1997. One of the reasons why such groups have fared worse is that benefit
levels have not kept pace with rising average incomes. Harder to reach
groups homeless people, some black and minority ethnic groups and
asylum seekers are also losing out.

Poverty means...
Having people think I was in care because I was a bad kid
or had a bad mother.
Having all the same dreams for the future that everyone else
has, but no way on earth to make them come true.
Knowing it is never going to get better, this is it.
Having no choice about where we live, what school the kids
go to or what kind of jobs we get.
Everyone thinking they have the right opinion about me,
just because I ask for a little bit of help.

Making UK poverty history 13

 What can I do?

Rising to challenges
Poverty will not stand still but it can be eradicated.
This is a challenge for all of us.

> Join a campaigning organisation

Becoming a member of a campaigning organisation is a great
way to support campaigns on poverty at both a national and
local level. For example, Shelter (www.shelter.org.uk) and the
Child Poverty Action Group (www.cpag.org.uk).

> Challenge the media

If you think a news story is unfair, or depicts a stereotyped image
of people living in poverty, write a short letter to the newspaper.
You will see the address on the letters page, or you can often
contact them by email.
If you hear something on the radio, or see something on TV that
you think is unfair or unbalanced, call them up. Ask for the duty
officer and explain why the programme was unbalanced or unfair,
but dont get emotional or angry.
Here are some numbers you can call: BBC (020 8743 8000);
BBC Radio (020 7580 4468); ITN (020 7833 3000); Sky News
(020 7782 3000).

> Make it fun!

Poverty is sometimes a deadly serious business, but in the way
you communicate the issues you need to strike a balance. Take
the issues seriously, but look for the humour and bring out the
hope. Campaigning should inspire people to join you, not make
them miserable.

14 Making UK poverty history

What about the gap
between rich and poor?
During the 1980s, the gap between the rich and poor in
Britain grew dramatically at a rate that was exceptional
internationally.17 Since then this gap has not started to
close and in recent years there has been a sharp rise
in the incomes of the top one per cent.
Increasingly, we know that poverty cannot be reduced without tackling
the underlying inequality as well. Research shows that countries with
the lowest levels of poverty tend to have more equal societies.18 The
wider the gap in wealth, the less likely it is that the rich will bother
about, or even be aware of, people living on low incomes.
Most people in the UK around 80 per cent think the gap between
rich and poor is too large, and a clear majority believe the government
19
has a responsibility to reduce inequality. But there is much less
agreement on whether the government should redistribute wealth
to achieve this. Given the governments failure to argue the case,
and its preference for what has been called redistribution by
stealth, this is hardly surprising.

Making UK poverty history 15

What can we do?
People who care about poverty
in the UK have to learn the
If the next 10 years
did for the poor what
the 1980s did for the
rich, that would bring
lessons of MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY. the UK within touching
This campaign has shown what
distance of the child
can be done to tackle poverty

poverty goals.
overseas. Now we must do the
same here at home. One of UN Human Development
the crucial ingredients is public Report 2005
support. Getting people to accept
the gravity of the problem, and to become determined to
do something about it, is essential if we are to succeed
in relegating poverty to the history books in the UK.
We need to organise and campaign at national and local levels to ensure
people in poverty have a voice and a stake in society and their basic rights are
upheld. Maybe you think that poverty is just a fact of life? Well, read this

Get Heard Giving people in poverty a voice

The Get Heard project, supported by a coalition of organisations,
is encouraging grassroots groups and people living on low incomes
to explore what is working and what needs to change in government
anti-poverty policy. Through over 50 workshops across the UK,
Get Heard is seeking to ensure that the experience and expertise
of those most directly affected can influence national policy and
local practice. A key lesson of Get Heard is that poverty affects
every aspect of life, and there are many ways to address it. The
project has produced a useful guide, setting out the consultation
process on the governments anti-poverty policy, how to organise
local workshops, and a range of information sources. See
www.ukcap.org/getheard for further details.

16 Making UK poverty history

A tale of London Citizens
In 2003, members of a remarkable community-based organisation
in East London called Telco (part of a broader alliance called
London Citizens) attended the Annual General Meetings of HSBC
and Barclays to ask that both banks pay a living wage to their
contracted-out cleaning and security staff. This demand was initially
rejected by the two banks, although the issue generated instant
press interest, particularly when Abdul Durrant, a cleaner at HSBC,
gave dramatic testimony about life on low pay in the capital. Part
of the banks argument against the living wage was that they
already gave significant sums to charities in East London. The
Roman Catholic bishop of Brentwood responded: We want justice,
not charity.
As a result of this persistent campaign, staff employed by
contractors to the two banks were able to secure a wage of
6.70 per hour, 2.20 higher than the then minimum wage of
4.50. See www.londoncitizens.org.uk for more information.

Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity.

It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental
human right, the right to dignity and a decent life.

While poverty persists, there is no true freedom.
Nelson Mandela

Making UK poverty history 17

 What can I do?

Changing the way you live

> Volunteer
Volunteering can be a powerful force for change, both for
those who volunteer and for the wider community. It exposes
you to new situations and new people, and can help build
up your confidence.
You can find volunteering opportunities at your local
Volunteer Bureau or Council for Voluntary Service or
through www.ecpc.org.uk/volunteering.asp or you
can get in touch with CSV (www.csv.org.uk).

> Give money

Poverty will be difficult to defeat unless we also restrain
our individualism and selfishness. Do you give money
to charity? Perhaps you should. And make sure that the
money you give to banks is put to good use by opening
an account with the Co-op (www.co-operativebank.co.uk)
or Triodos (www.triodos.co.uk).

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

Mahatma Gandhi

18 Making UK poverty history

Notes
1. Department for Work and Pensions (2005) Households Below Average Income
(HBAI) 1994/95 to 2003/04

2. Department for Work and Pensions (2005) Family Life in Britain: Findings from the
2003 Families and Children Study (FACS)

3. ONS (2000) Births, perinatal and infant mortality statistics 2000, London

4. Thekaekara and Thekaekara (1995) Across the Geographical Divide, CIVA, London

5. See recent editions of the Human Development Report, published by the UN

Development Programme: http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2004

6. National Statistics (2004) Focus on Social Inequalities, London: Office for National
Statistics

7. Department for Work and Pensions (2005) Households Below Average Income
1994/95 to 2003/04, Corporate Document Services, Table 3.5

8. Bradshaw J. et al. (2003) Gender and Poverty in Britain, Working Paper Series No. 6,
Manchester: Equal Opportunities Commission

9. Department for Work and Pensions (2005) Households Below Average Income
1994/95 to 2003/04, Corporate Document Services, Table 4.4

10. Department for Work and Pensions (2005) Households Below Average Income
1994/95 to 2003/04, Corporate Document Services, Table 3.5

11. Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2004) Homelessness Statistics, Third Quarter

12. Department for Work and Pensions (2005) Households Below Average Income
1994/95 to2003/04, Corporate Document Services

13. April 2005-March 2006 rate of income-based jobseekers allowance for a single
person aged 25 or over; 18-24 year olds get 44.50. www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk

14. As a result of Section 9 of the 2004 Asylum and Immigration Act

15. Rate for a single person aged 25 or over from 11 April 2005. For 18-24 year olds,
the rate is 31.15

16. http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2005

17. Hills J (2004) Inequality and the State, Oxford University Press

18. Jackson B., Segal P. (2004) Why inequality matters, Catalyst Working Paper

19. Park A. et al (2004) British Social Attitudes: the 21st report, London: Sage

Making UK poverty history 19

Oxfam GB is a member of Oxfam International, registered charity no. 202918.
End Child Poverty is a registered charity no. 1099008.
Designed by Corinne Welch (www.goodthinkingcommunications.net)