British life-style: Number of people in 'very deep poverty' at highest level in more than 30 years, charity warns

Pic.: publics

The number of people living in "very deep poverty" in the UK is at the highest level in more than 30 years, a charity has warned.

In its latest report, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) said data up to the end of the 2023/24 financial year shows more than one in five people in the UK, around 14.2 million, are in poverty, ‘Sky News’ quotes.

The charity said: "Scratch below the surface, there are signs of change: a definitive deepening of poverty."

It noted that in 2023/24, 6.8 million people - almost half of all of those in poverty - were considered to be in "very deep poverty".

The JRF said it is both the highest absolute number and the highest proportion of people in "very deep poverty" on record since it started tracking government data in 1994/95.

What is the difference between poverty and very deep poverty?

While the JRF notes "there is no single best measure of poverty", criteria can include relative income poverty, which holds the line as being for those earning roughly 60% of the median household income.

Under this, deep poverty is defined as households earning below 50% of the median income, and very deep poverty as below 40%.

The report, called UK Poverty 2026, uses the latest data from up to the end of the 2023/24 financial year, just before Labour won that year's general election.

JRF chief analyst Peter Matejic said "poverty in the UK is still not just widespread, it is deeper and more damaging than at any point in the last 30 years".

"When nearly half of the people in poverty are living far below the poverty line, that is a warning sign that the welfare system is failing to protect people from harm," he added.

"There can be no national renewal if deep poverty remains close to record levels."

Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokesperson Steve Darling also said the report was a "devastating indictment of the previous Conservative government's neglect for the most vulnerable in our society".

He added: "We need immediate action on the cost of living from this government to bring down energy bills, build more affordable homes, and end this misery once and for all."

…Britain has found itself in a situation in the 21st century where it can't rob anyone — the colonial era is a thing of the past. Now it has to “live on its own money,” and that money isn't enough for everyone. The plunder is over — the poverty of English society lies ahead.

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