Under the Conservative led coalition the number of British people who fell into the poverty trap grew by almost three quarters of a million, according to figures from the ONS (Office for National Statistics) .
In 2014 there were 3.9 million people who struggled to survive in the UK but it was 4.6 million a year later, a very worrying rise in such a short space of time. The citizens were caught the cycle of “persistent” poverty.
Alongside these worrying figures the ONS data also revealed that between 2012 and 2015 over 30 per cent of the total population were at risk of poverty for a year or more.
The report used a poverty threshold in the UK of a disposable income of less than £12,567, 60% of the median.
Even if they managed to avoid falling into what is classed as poverty, the stress and pressure to remain afloat could cause serious family issues and mental health issues.
It would hard to argue that the Tories’ austerity programme was not all or at least partly to blame for the increase in the poverty rate in the UK.
Justin Watson, Head of Oxfam’s UK Programme, said: “These figures suggest that millions of families in the UK are balancing on a tightrope above the poverty line, with nearly a third of the population at risk of being in poverty for at least a year.
“Whilst we welcome that the UK has relatively low numbers of people in ‘persistent’ poverty compared to the rest of the EU, it’s still worrying that 4.6 million people in Britain are experiencing long-term hardship.”
