UK Poverty - John and Donna's story

Poverty in the UK? John and Donna, a young couple from Darlington, know what that means.
Have your say: www.oxfam.org.uk/ukpovertypost

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• UK
• Poverty
• Oxfam

[simpleearthling]

she doesnt look hungrey to me

[OhMaDayzz]

If they are so poor why do they have 4 children?

[magikjelibean]

plus...i wouldnt call that poverty when your child has a slide and a trampoline.

back in the early 90's when i was a child we had to use the coal fire to heat and grill food because we didnt have enough electric in the meter. i had to wear my brothers old clothes and

have butter sandwiches for school dinner., haha thats poverty!

[09SRILANKA]

Spoke to single mum recently, she gets ESA, DLA, child allowance, child tax credits total £980 every 4 weeks, free rent, council tax, dental, prescriptions, school lunch. Poverty dream on!

[09SRILANKA]

£886.38 a month in tax credits including child allowance for 3 kids,rent, council tax, dental, prescriptions, free school lunches to name but a few on top of this, then add mums & dads state handouts, there's no poverty in this UK home!

[09SRILANKA]

I've just been on child tax credit & allowance calculator & you will get £886.38 in state handouts for 3 kids, rent, council tax,school lunches,prescriptions,dental & on top of that lot mum & dads state handouts. There's no child poverty in this home! Do the maths!

[demarcos69]

Poverty? Looks like a Nice, clean safe neighborhood to me

[09SRILANKA]

I don't think any kids in the UK live in poverty, you can get £206.45 in child tax credits a week if you have 4 children & still have an income from work of just under £16000 & then £60.50 a week in child allowance which in turn would give a weekly household income of about £500, that's not poverty!

[AbortedBabysInMakeUp]

Changes from 1 April 2011

From 1 April 2011 the rates for Local Housing Allowance will be reduced across the country:

Weekly excess

The maximum £15 weekly excess that some customers can get will be removed.

Limits on payments

A limit will be introduced so that Local Housing Allowance does not exceed:

£250 a week for a one bedroom property (including shared accommodation)

£290 a week for a two bedroom property

£340 a week for a three bedroom property

£400 a week for a four bedroom property

[bolshevikML]

There is grinding poverty in the capitalistic economies. In Norway and Switzerland, the situation is almost as critical as in the UK.

[chrismallyon]

No kids = money in your pocket.

Simple really.