By Richard McKeever
About a year ago we wrote a piece reporting on the launch of the Minimum Income Standards research. This is an income figure calculated to reflect what members of the public thought people need to achieve a socially acceptable standard of living. Today the figures for 2009 have been published.
Last year the report delivered a grim analysis for those living on low incomes and claiming benefits. One year on, after regular news of financial crisis and job losses, the picture looks even more bleak. Around one quarter of people in Britain are living below the minimum income standard, and this is increasing as unemployment rises People of working age who are claiming benefits remain well below the minimum income standard and far removed from an acceptable living standard.
These findings have confirmed what we at Community Links have known for years that the current benefit system does not provide a sufficient income for people to live with dignity. In fact it pays people to stay in poverty.
Inadequacies in the benefits and tax credit systems are one of the factors that result in people feeling they have no alternative than to work informally – claiming benefit whilst undertaking cash-in-hand work. Our NeedNOTGreed campaign works to remove the need for cash-in-hand work by creating a modern, flexible welfare system. Our work is summarised in our Social Change booklet on the Informal Economy.
But it’s more than just an argument about figures and statistics. The everyday experience of the people we work with in our own area of east London and communities like ours across the UK indicate the many ways families are struggling. The figures are translated into the child who hopes – but does not expect to get a birthday cake or the family living in overcrowded and unsuitable accomodation that can’t get away for a weekend at the seaside over the summer – or even afford regular healthy lunches whilst the free school dinners are not available during school closure. Our work on Child Poverty is summarised in another of our Social Change series.
Full details are available on the Minimum Income Standards website where a there is also a ‘Minimum Income Calculator’ for people to check whether their income meets the MIS.
