Latest news with #deprivation
BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
A fifth of people deemed at risk of poverty in eight-year period, says study
Almost a fifth of people were deemed at risk of poverty at least once between 2015 and 2023, according to a study. The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) published research examining the complexities of income poverty and deprivation and how they intertwine. Advertisement On average, 22 per cent of the population experienced deprivation at least once in two consecutive years from 2016 to 2023: almost half of these were in persistent deprivation, slightly less than a third were exiting deprivation, and about a quarter were entering deprivation. The study noted that there was a post-pandemic spike observed amongst lone-parent families, 30 to 65-year-old single people, adults above 65, and especially amongst single people over 65. It said the stronger effect for the older population could be explained by the fact that the State pension was frozen in cash terms in 2020 and 2021. The ESRI report, published in partnership with the Department of Social Protection, used longitudinal data from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) – the study explores the dynamics of poverty. Advertisement It found that the annual at-risk-of-poverty (AROP) rate declined from 16 per cent in 2016 to 11 per cent in 2023, while the persistent AROP rate declined from 10 per cent in 2015-2016 to 7 per cent in 2022-2023. The latter shows the share of the population who were AROP two years in a row. Material deprivation increased in the recent period from 14 per cent in 2021 to 17 per cent in 2023. Over the period 2016 to 2023, an average of 5 per cent of people were both AROP and deprived. Advertisement Lone parent families, large families, and households with a working-age adult with a disability faced the highest risks of persistent AROP and deprivation, it said. Children in lone-parent families, in particular, are most at risk, with an average of 33 per cent of them being persistently deprived, and 21 per cent being persistently AROP, between 2016 and 2023. The report said that implementing 'targeted' policy measures to support lone parents, large families, and households with a person with disabilities is essential to help those at high risk of poverty. It said timely adjustments to social welfare payments, including pensions, would be 'critical' to protect vulnerable groups from inflation. Advertisement Co-author Anousheh Alamir said the report highlighted 'the complex nature of poverty' and how different groups face different risks over various time periods. 'Over two-year stretches, lone parent families and households with a disabled adult are found to be the most at risk of income poverty and/or material deprivation for one year only. 'And while they are also the most likely to be materially deprived two years in a row (i.e persistently), large families are the most at risk of income poverty during that time. 'Thus, different groups are vulnerable to different forms and durations of poverty, an insight that should be key for effective policy.' Advertisement
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
His Last Report: The York chocolate magnate who changed Britain forever
As a new play highlights Seebohm Rowntree's trailblazing York poverty reports, we look at the man who helped pave the way for our welfare state SHOCKING levels of deprivation in York inspired York cocoa magnate Seebohm Rowntree to conduct pioneering surveys into poverty more than a century ago. His reports into poverty in York at the turn of the 20th century shocked Victorian society and caught the attention of politicians including David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill and paved the way for our modern welfare state. York Slums, adults and children, c 1900. Credit Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Seebohm Rowntree's trailblazing work is the subject matter for a new community play currently running at York Theatre Royal - His Last Report. But who was Seebohm Rowtree - and why was his life's work so influential? Here is the story... 1. Born Benjamin Seebohm Rowntree in 1871, he was the second of the four sons of York cocoa entrepreneur Joseph Rowntree. A chemistry graduate, he was a stalwart of the family cocoa and chocolate business until retirement in 1941, having been chairman since 1923. 2. Seebohm published three reports into poverty: Poverty: a Study in Town Life (1900); Poverty and Progress (1941), and Poverty and the Welfare State (1951). 3. The first book had the biggest impact, rocking Victorian society, with its detailed descriptions of the deprivation facing York's working classes. 4. The book drew attention to the conditions of shocking poverty in which many people in late Victorian Britain were living. Seebohm coined the term 'poverty line'. And his research revealed that more than 20,000 people in York – almost half the working class population – were living in poverty. Seebohm Rowntree and David Lloyd George. Picture: Joseph Rowntree Foundation/Borthwick Institute for Archives 5. Rowntree found two main reasons for poverty. In a quarter of cases, the chief wage-earner of the family was dead or unable to work due to age, disability or unemployment. However, in more than 50 per cent of cases, the breadwinner was in regular work: his wages were simply too low to meet his family's needs. Unskilled Labourers earned roughly 90 to 100 pence a week in York in 1899, yet Rowntree estimated that at least 120 pence was needed to keep a family with three children out of poverty. The belief that a man could provide for his family if he was thrifty and hard-working was shown to be false. 6. Among those shocked by Rowntree's findings was Winston Churchill. After reading the book, he commented: 'For my own part, I see little glory in an Empire which can rule the waves and is unable to flush its sewers'. Recommended reading: 'Incredible': Theatre Royal's powerful new project focusing on people in York What's on in York: 8 fab things to do in and around York from this weekend Ten fascinating facts about York chocolate giant and its iconic bar 7. The work of Seebohm Rowntree, and of his fellow pioneer, Charles Booth, who published a study of the London poor, led to the Liberal reforms of 1906-1912, and ultimately to the welfare state. 8. In York, his legacy remains. As chairman of Rowntree and Company, Seebohm Rowntree was instrumental in the creation of the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, named after his father. Seebohm's poverty report also inspired his father Joseph to establish New Earswick as a model or garden village to provide decent and affordable housing for his factory workers. This woman is walking along Station Avenue towards the Folk Hall in New Earswick in the 1930s. Photo: Explore York Libraries and Archives Life in poverty in York Some examples from Seebohm Rowtree's notes reveal the human tragedy beneath the statistics. They include: • Labourer, Foundry. Married. Four rooms. Four children. Steady: work regular. Man has bad eyesight, and poor wage accordingly. Family live in the midst of smoke. Rent cheap on account of smoke. Rent 3s. • Spinster. One room. Parish relief. Seems ill for want of proper support. House as clean as a sick woman can make it. Shares a water-tap with eleven other houses, and a closet (toilet) with three others. Rent 2s. • The report revealed how wages paid for unskilled labour were not enough for a moderate-sized family to survive on. Even families who could manage to barely survive, he went on, 'must never spend a penny on railway fare or omnibus." He wrote: "They must never go into the country unless they walk. They must never purchase a halfpenny newspaper or spend a penny to buy a ticket for a popular concert. They must write no letters to absent children, for they cannot afford to pay the postage… The children must have no pocket money for dolls, marbles, or sweets... Finally, the wage-earner must never be absent from work for a single day.' Publicity poster for His Last Report - this year's community theatrical project at York Theatre Royal
Irish Times
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Second tier child benefit could leave up to 100,000 worse off, tax strategy paper suggests
The introduction of a second tier, means-tested child benefit payment would involve the replacement of some existing supports and could lead to some lower-income households losing out financially, the Tax Strategy Group (TSG) papers suggest. According to TSG, based on some estimates, up to 100,000 children could end up being worse off. The TSG, which prepares a range of papers for the Government in advance of the budget being framed, paper on social protection notes that it has been suggested that to address deprivation experienced by children most effectively would require putting in place a second tier, means-tested, child benefit payment. However, t argues that public discourse on this suggestion does not generally recognise that it involves the replacement of the second tier of child payments that already exists in the form of the Child Support Payment (a means-tested payment to families in receipt of weekly social welfare payments) and the Working Family Payment (aweekly tax-free payment for employees on low pay with children). READ MORE 'Most recently the ESRI has proposed the replacement of these payments with a single second tier payment and modelled an option costing over €700 million annually over and above the existing payments,' the paper notes. 'In doing this, it acknowledges that its proposal is in outline form would require substantial work to refine and cost fully. 'It also acknowledges that some lower income households would lose income – with payments reducing in respect of approximately 100,000 children. This is a complex issue that would need to be fully understood before any new second tier payment is introduced.' The paper notes that the programme for government contained a commitment to developing a proposal for a Working Age Payment, which would be given to low-income households based on their pay levels rather than their employment status and involve a child-related element. 'Accordingly, any new second tier payment would have to be considered in the context of how it would interact with this payment – a consultation on which is due to issue later this year,' the paper added. The paper said that pending these developments, 'it remains clear that it is important to target welfare increases to the households with children where the risk of poverty is greatest and that such an approach favours investment in targeted rather than universal benefits'. The paper says that Child Support Payment (CSP), currently paid at €50 for children under 12 years and at €62 for children 12 years and over, is one such targeted measure. It estimates that a €1 increase in the payment for both age cohorts would cost about €15.45 million in a year. 'Annual increases in the Child Support Payment mitigate the risk of poverty for families with children. There was a proportionately larger increase in the rate in respect of children 12 years and over in Budget 2025. 'One advantage to adjusting the rate of the Child Support Payment rather than the personal rate is that it equally benefits lone parents and couples with children, without an adjustment to the personal rate of each scheme. 'Other targeted measures that would directly reduce child poverty, include increasing the weekly income thresholds for the Working Family Payment and increasing the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance. Households with children that receive other supplementary welfare supports such as Fuel Allowance would also benefit from increases in this payment. 'The support of the Public Employment Service delivered by the Department's Intreo Centres is also important in assisting parents, particularly lone parents in transitioning from welfare to employment and will have a material impact on the income levels of these households.' The paper also highlights that when one-off payments in recent budgets are excluded, increases in core social welfare payment rates between 2019 and 2025 lagged behind price inflation by between 2.5 to 5.5 per cent and lagged wage growth by between 9 and 13 per cent. 'Accordingly, as the use of 'one-off' payments is ceased, it will be important to ensure that other rate measures are effective in targeting the reduction in poverty among those most at risk of poverty,' it stated.
BBC News
22-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Deprivation and immigration straining cohesion, says Rayner
Angela Rayner has identified deprivation, time spent online and immigration as factors weaking social cohesion in the the findings of her year-long study, commissioned in the wake of a wave of riots across the UK sparked by the murder of three girls in Southport, the deputy prime minister told ministers they must confront people's "real concerns" to rebuild Street said the unreleased study will form the backbone of the Plan for Neighbourhoods, which promises to invest £1.5 billion in 75 of the "most deprived" areas across the UK over the next comments come ahead of the first anniversary the Southport attack on 29 July. Axel Rudakubana is serving a life sentence for murdering Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Da Silva Aguiar when he attacked a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in other girls were seriously injured, along with two adults who tried to stop the about the killing developed into a riot on 30 July, fuelled by misinformation alleging Rudakubana, who was born in Cardiff, was a riot was quickly followed by violent disorder across the country - leading to more than 600 arrests by Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the riots as "far-right thuggery," with crowds targeting mosques and accommodation housing asylum seekers. On Tuesday, Rayner said 17 of the 18 worst-hit areas were among the most deprived in the UK."While Britain was a successful multi-ethnic, multi-faith country, the government had to show it had a plan to address people's concerns and provide opportunities for everyone to flourish," she warned.A read out of the Cabinet meeting said Rayner told colleagues: "Economic insecurity, the rapid pace of de-industrialisation, immigration and the impacts on local communities and public services, technological change and the amount of time people were spending alone online, and declining trust in institutions was having a profound impact on society."Rayner said it was "incumbent on the government to acknowledge the real concerns people have and to deliver improvements to people's lives and their communities," the readout Keir said the country will never forget the "unimaginable tragedy" of the "horrific" Southport attacks. This week the government unveiled details of plans to impose life sentences on suspects found to be preparing mass killings in an effort to prevent Southport style attacks from happening Secretary Yvette Cooper said the criminal justice system had to be given new tools to respond to violence-fixated individuals who are not motivated by a particular told the BBC that the government will "close the gap" between such offenders and lone, violence-obsessed individuals by giving police the power to apprehend them long before they can act. On Sunday, police arrested six people in connection with a protest outside a hotel used to house asylum seekers in Essex that has been running since and smoke flares were thrown towards police vehicles during the demonstration which saw more than 1,000 people gathered outside the Bell Hotel in protests followed the arrest and charge of an asylum seeker over an alleged sexual assault on a disorder followed the arrest and charge of an asylum seeker last week on suspicion of alleged sexual assaults in the Street previously said the scenes at Epping were "unacceptable". Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to keep up with the inner workings of Westminster and beyond.
The Guardian
22-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Immigration and deprivation reasons UK public losing faith in politicians, says Rayner
Immigration and deprivation are the key factors causing public disenchantment with politicians and the government that has led to social unrest and rioting, Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, has warned. According to an official summary of Tuesday's meeting of the cabinet, Rayner, who is leading a wider government project on improving social cohesion, also highlighted the increasing amount of people spending time alone and online as a driver of disturbances. Asked if Rayner specifically saw increased migration as a particular reason for both the riots which took place across England last summer and recent disturbances at hotels which house asylum seekers, Downing Street said it was among 'concerns that people have about whether government is acting on their behalf and acting in their interests'. Ministers are concerned about a potential renewed wave of migration and race-based disturbances, as the anniversary approaches of the murder of three children at a dance class in Southport that led to riots last summer, with many encouraged by false far-right claims about the attack. Rayner told ministerial colleagues that 'economic insecurity, the rapid pace of de-industrialisation, immigration and the impacts on local communities and public services, technological change and the amount of time people were spending alone online, and declining trust in institutions was having a profound impact on society', according to a No 10 readout of the cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning. Emphasising the role of deprivation and poverty, Rayner said 17 of the 18 places around England which had the worst trouble last summer were among the country's most-deprived areas. 'While Britain was a successful multi-ethnic, multi-faith country, the government had to show it had a plan to address people's concerns and provide opportunities for everyone to flourish,' Rayner added. Asked about the role of immigration, Keir Starmer's official spokesperson said 'high levels of immigration over the last 10 years, including illegal immigration' was among a series of factors, including the cost of living and the pace of technological change that 'have had an impact on our social fabric and social cohesion'. Questioned about Rayner's comments on people spending more time online and alone, the spokesperson said adults now averaged four hours of online time a day, 'and that has changed the way in which people interact with other people'. While Rayner's project on social cohesion is aimed at the longer term, with no date set as to when it will present any conclusions, ministers are very mindful of the more immediate worry of a repeat of last summer's disorder, after which there were more than 1,800 arrests and nearly 1,100 charges, with hundreds of people jailed. One potential flashpoint could be an asylum hotel in Epping, Essex, which has been the target for a series of protests in recent days, and where police were attacked. The far-right agitator Tommy Robinson has promised on social media to bring 'thousands' of people to join a mass protest at the hotel on Sunday. Similar demonstrations have also taken place at a hotel in Diss, Norfolk. There is an additional political impetus for ministers to take seriously the possibility of wider disorder given the likelihood it would be exploited by Nigel Farage, who used a speech about crime on Monday to say much of the UK was experiencing 'nothing short of societal collapse'. He told an event: 'I don't think anybody in London can understand just how close we are to civil disobedience on a vast scale in this country.'
