Truth and Lies about Poverty:ending comfortable myths about poverty
Original report from the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church, the Church of Scotland and the United Reformed Church
The lies we tell ourselves
This report is produced bythe Church in Walesand Oxfam Cymru.
2
3
Page
5PrefacetoTruthandLiesaboutPoverty
6Executivesummary
8Introduction
10Tellingthetruthaboutpoverty
11TroubledFamiliesandTroubledStatistics: Acasestudyinmisrepresentingthemostvulnerable
Convenientmythsaboutpoverty:
15 Myth1:‘They’arelazyandjustdon’twanttowork
20 Myth2:‘They’areaddictedtodrinkanddrugs
21 Myth3:‘They’arenotreallypoor-theyjustdon’tmanagetheirmoneyproperly
23 Myth4:‘They’areonthefiddle
25 Myth5:‘They’haveaneasylifeonbenefits
29 Myth6:‘They’causedthedeficit
31 Conclusion
32 References
Contents
5
In1952thatgreatWelshmanandfounderofthe
NHSAneurinBevansaid:
“Iffreedomistobesavedandenlarged,
povertymustbeended.Thereisnoother
solution.”
Over60yearsonandpovertyinBevan’s
homelandhasnotbeenended–infactpovertyin
Walesisontheincrease.Today,23%ofpeoplein
Walesliveonlessthan60%oftheaveragewage,
1%uponlastyear.Thatisabout700,000ofour
fellowcitizens.One-thirdofchildreninWalesare
affectedbypoverty,goingwithoutessentialsor
livinginhomeswhicharecoldordamp.
Nearly15%liveinseverepoverty–thehighest
proportionofanyUKnation,andintheareasof
Waleswhereoldindustriesandmanufacturing
plantshaveclosed,thatpovertyisverysevere
indeed.
Inadditiontoalltheprivationsthepoorhaveto
tolerate,thoseinpovertyareoftenstigmatized
asidle,workshy,feckless,scroungers,shirkersand
cheats.
Truth and Lies about Povertywasfirstpublished
asareportafewmonthsagobytheBaptist
UnionofGreatBritain,theMethodistChurch,
theChurchofScotlandandtheUnitedReformed
ChurchunderthetitleThe Lies We Tell Ourselves:
ending comfortable myths about poverty.
Thesignatoriestothisprefacedecidedthereport
deservedwidercirculationamongbothreligious
andsecularcommunitiesinWales.Wealsofelt
itimportantthereportshouldbeavailablein
Welsh,thelanguageoffaithofsomanypeople
inWalesandofaconsiderableproportionofthe
populationofWales.
Thefullreportandexecutivesummaryare
availableonlineat:http://www.churchinwales.
org.uk/lifeandwww.oxfam.org.uk/cymru
TheoriginalEnglishversion,togetherwith
additionalinformation,isavailablefromwww.
jointpublicissues.org.uk/truthandliesaboutpoverty/
WewouldliketothanktheJointPublicIssues
Teamforalltheirhelpandtheirpermissionto
translateandreprinttheirreport.
IfoursocietytookTruth and Lies about Povertyto
heart,thatcouldbeatransformativeexperience
foraffluentandpooralike.Ourhopeisthatthat
mighthappen.
Most Revd Dr Barry Morgan,
Archbishop of Wales
Julian Rosser,
Head of Oxfam Cymru
Preface to Truth and Lies about Poverty
6
In1753JohnWesley,thefounderofMethodism
said,“Sowickedly,devilishlyfalseisthatcommon
objection,‘Theyarepoor,onlybecausetheyare
idle’”.Yettodaymanychurchgoersandmembers
ofthegeneralpublicalikehavecometobelieve
thatthekeyfactorsdrivingpovertyintheUK
arethepersonalfailingsofthepoor–especially
‘idleness’.Howdidthiscomeabout?
Themythsexposedinthisreport,reinforced
bypoliticiansandthemedia,areconvenient
becausetheyallowthepoortobeblamedfor
theirpoverty,andtherestofsocietytoavoid
takinganyoftheresponsibility.Mythshidethe
complexityofthetruenatureofpovertyinthe
UK.Theyenabledangerouspoliciestobeimposed
onwholesectionsofsocietywithouttheirfull
consequencesbeingproperlyexamined.This
reportaimstohighlightsomecomfortablemyths,
showhowtheyhavecometoprominenceandtest
themagainstseriousevidence.
Churcheshaveaspecialinterestinspeaking
truthfullyaboutpoverty.Boththebiblical
warningsoftheprophetsandtheexample
ofJesusteachustopayspecialattention
tothevoicesofthemostvulnerableand
underprivileged.Thesystematicmisrepresentation
ofthepoorestinsocietyisamatterofinjustice
whichallChristianshavearesponsibilityto
challenge.
Thereportbeginswithacasestudy,Troubled
Families and Troubled Statistics,showinghow
factsandevidencewerebenttomeettheneeds
ofpolicymakers.Thereputationsofsociety’smost
disadvantagedfamiliesbecamecollateraldamage
intherushtodefendanewpolicy.Perhapsweare
notsurprisedbythisbutweshouldbeappalled.
Themythschallengedarenotacomprehensivelist
butwerechosenbecauseoftheirprominencein
publicdebate,andtheirwidespreadacceptance.
MyTh 1‘They’ are lazy and don’t want to work
Themostcommonlycitedcauseofchildpovertyby
churchgoersandthegeneralpublicalikeisthat“their
parentsdon’twanttowork”.Yetthemajorityof
childreninpovertyarefromworkinghouseholds.In-
workpovertyisnowmorecommonthanoutofwork
poverty.Itisreadilyacceptedthatacrossthecountry
therearefamiliesinwhichthreegenerationshave
neverworked.Examplesofsuchfamilieshavenotbeen
found,andtheevidencesuggestsitisunlikelyweever
will.Howdidwecometobelievethesethings?
MyTh 2‘They’ are addicted to drink and drugs
Churchgoersandthewiderpublicciteaddictionas
thesecondmostcommoncauseofchildpoverty.
Whileaddictionisdevastatingforthefamiliesand
communitiestouchedbyit,fewerthan4%ofbenefit
claimantsreportanyformofaddiction.Howdidwe
cometobelievethisissuchabigfactorinthelivesof
the13millionpeoplewholiveinpovertyintheUK
today?
Executive summary
7
ConclusionAsacoalitionofmajorBritishChurches,wewanttocreateanewstory;onegroundedintruth,
compassionandhope.PartofourcallingasChristiansistoseekaftertruth,andthatmeansfacingupto
ourownblindnessaswellascallingotherstoaccount.
CollectivelywehavecometobelievethingsaboutpovertyintheUKwhicharenotgroundedinfact.We
needtodevelopanunderstandingofthedepthandbreadthofUKpovertythatiscompatiblewiththe
evidenceavailable.Justasimportantlyweneedtomatchthelanguageofpublicdebatewiththereality
ofpeople’slives.Itisataskwemustapproachwithhumility;onewhichputsthelivedexperienceof
povertyatitsheart,andonewhichiscommittedtotruthfulness–nomatterhowuncomfortablewefind
thosetruthstobe.Pleasejoinwithusinthischallenge.
MyTh 6‘They’ caused the deficit
Theproportionofourtax
billsspentonwelfarehas
remainedstableforthe
last20years.Itisridiculous
toargue,assomehave,
thatincreasingwelfare
spendingisresponsiblefor
thecurrentdeficit.Public
debtisaproblembutwhy
isitbeinglaidatthefeet
ofthepoorest?
MyTh 3‘They’ are not really poor – they just don’t manage their money properly
Nearly60%oftheUKpopulationagreesthatthepoorcouldcopeifonlytheyhandledtheirmoneyproperly.
Theexperienceoflivingonalowincomeisoneofconstantstruggletomanagelimitedresources,withsmall
eventshavingseriousconsequences.Statisticsshowthatthepoorestspendtheirmoneycarefully,limiting
themselvestotheessentials.Howdidwecometobelievethatpovertywascausedbyprofligacy?
MyTh 4‘They’ are on the fiddle
Over80%oftheUKpopulationbelievethat“largenumbersfalselyclaim
benefits”.Benefitfraudhasdecreasedtohistoricallylowlevels-thekindoflevels
thatthetaxsystemcanonlydreamof.Lessthan0.9%ofthewelfarebudgetislost
tofraud.Thefactisthatifeveryoneclaimedandwaspaidcorrectly,thewelfare
systemwouldcostaround£18billionmore.Sohowdidwecometoseewelfare
claimantsasfraudulentscroungers?
MyTh 5‘They’ have an easy life
OverhalftheBritishpublicbelievesbenefitsaretoohighandchurchgoerstend
toagree.Governmentministersspeakoffamiliesoptingforbenefitsasalifestyle
choice.Yetweknowthatbenefitsdonotmeetminimumincomestandards.They
havehalvedinvaluerelativetoaverageincomesoverthelast30years.Weknow
theillandtheunemployedarethepeopleleastsatisfiedandhappywithlife.Why
havewecometobelievethatlargenumbersoffamilieswouldchoosethisasa
lifestyle?
8
Neilusedtobealong-distancelorrydriver,
travellingalloverEurope.Illhealthhasmeant
thathehashadtogiveupwork.Hereceives
disabilitybenefitsandhasacar,withoutwhich
hewouldbehousebound.Neillivesinatwo-
bedroomedpropertyandisindangeroflosinghis
homebecauseofbenefitreforms.Heisactivein
hislocalcommunityassociation,butifhehasto
leavehishouse,hewillhavetomoveoutofthe
area.Hefeelsdesperate,fearfulanduncertainof
thefuture.Heisalsoveryclearabouttheextent
towhichhefeelsdemeanedandstigmatisedby
hissituation:
“Icannolongerwork.Iwasaproudman,I
alwaysworked,butIcannolongeraffordthat
luxury.Benefitchangesreducemyabilitytoeat
properly.Ican’taffordtokeepthefridgeonall
thetime,andIcan’taffordtoheatmyhomeall
thetime.
“Ican’tpaymywayifIgooutwithmyfamilyor
friends.Ifeellikemychildrenandmyfriendsno
longerlookuptomebecauseIhavenothing.
Ifeellikeafailure.Idon’tfeellikeaperson
anymore.
“Idotryandlookforpositivesinlife,likehelping
out(whenIcan)atmylocalcommunitycentre,
providingmealsfortheelderlyandvulnerable-
thisgivesmeafewhourstolookforwardto.
“Havingnomoneywhenallthetelevisionads
say‘buythis’or‘buythat’or‘haveawonderful
holiday’issofrustrating,becauseIaminpoverty
-oneofthecountlessmillionsinthiscountry.The
worstthingisthatIknowthatitisgoingtogeta
wholelotworseandthatitwillnevergetbetter.”
CasestudyprovidedbyChurchActiononPoverty
www.church-poverty.org.uk
Do you recognise this story?
We live in a broken society. As hardworking
families strive to do the best for their children,
there is a feral underclass which creates a
disproportionate number of social problems and
is a constant drain on the nation’s resources.
Through living off state benefits for generations,
this group has a developed a culture of
dependency and worklessness in which vices such
as substance abuse flourish. Through idleness or
dishonesty, making a fair contribution to society
has become alien.
Orthatiswhatyouwouldthinkistheaccepted
truthaboutpovertyintheUKfromreadingour
newspapers,listeningtoournationalpolitical
debatesandengagingineverydayconversations.
Thisconvenientmythisalongwayfromthedaily
experiencesofthe13millionpeople,including3.6
millionchildren,livinginpovertyinournation.
Forthosewholiveoutsidethisgroup,however
squeezedtheymaybe,itcanbecomfortingto
believepovertymainlyvisitsthosewhodeserve
it.1
Povertycanbemeasuredinmanyways.Income
levelsanddeprivationindicestellanimportant
partofthestory.In2010theMethodistChurch
saidthat“thoselivinginpovertystillsuffer
consequencesintermsofhealth,lifechancesand
opportunitiesfortheirchildren.Inshort,lackof
materialresourcepreventsmanyfromrealising
thepotentialthatGodhasgiventhem.”And
inthewordsofsomepeoplelivinginpoverty:
“povertymeanshavingnochoice,ifyou’relucky
youcanaffordthecheapestthings…povertyis
beinggivenendlessbowlsofsoupandcupsoftea
whenwhatyouwantisapropermeal….tobe
pooristobewrittenoff.”
Introduction
9
6.1
Acomfortablestorywhichassignsblameto
thoselivinginpovertyhasbecomeeasyto
believebecauseitissowidespreadandoften
repeated.Yetthereisdangerincomfort.The
typicalfamilyinpovertyintheUKisnotmadeup
ofthefeckless,worklessscroungersofpopular
imagination.Moretypicalisapersoninlow-paid
work,orapersonrecentlyunemployedandsoon
tofindanotherlow-paidjob.Moretypicalis
someonewhoscrimpsandsavesanddoeswithout
tomakesuretheirfamilyisabletomakeittothe
endoftheweek.
Thecomfortablestoryofpovertyallowsthe
majorityofpeopletoliveincomfortandsecurity,
largelyunawareofthedifficultiesthatmany
othersface.Itneutralisesourresponsetopeople
whostruggle-notwithcriminalityandanti-social
behaviour,buttocovertheessentialsoffeeding
afamily,clothinggrowingchildrenandheating
homes.Thecomfortablemythsaboutpoverty
allowustobelievethatpeopleinpovertyare
deservingoftheirpoverty,andthatitisneither
ourfaultnorourproblem.
Theconversationaboutpovertyhasconcentrated
onfraud,addictionandacultureofentitlement.
Theimplicationisthatifyoutacklethesefaults,
thenyoutacklepoverty.Italsosuggeststhat
povertycanbeconfrontedwithoutimpactingon
thelivesofanyoneelse–exceptperhapsreducing
thetaxwepay.Politiciansandpartsofthemedia
havereinforcedthisbeliefandtolduswhatwe
wanttohear.Thesemythshavebeenadistraction
fromtherealityofspendingcutsthatwill
continuetohaveadramaticeffectontheliving
standardsofthemostvulnerableinourcountry.
Itisalwayspossibletofindexamplesofindividual
goodorbadbehaviour,includingbypeopleliving
inpoverty.Itisalsopossibletouseastoryof
thisexampletojustifyanopinion.However,we
shouldnotattempttounderstandalargegroup
ofpeopleonthebasisofasinglestory,rather
thanonawiderangeofevidence.
Thisreport,producedbytheBaptistUnion
ofGreatBritain,theChurchofScotland,the
MethodistChurchandtheUnitedReformed
Churchisintendedtolaybaresomeofthemyths
aboutthepoorandtobeastruthfulaswecan
aboutUKpoverty.
Wehopethatthisreportwillhelppeopleto
weighprejudiceandanecdoteagainstevidence.
Wehopethatitwillhelptochallengethemyths
whichenablethemajoritytolivewiththe
comfortableassumptionthatbothpovertyand
wealtharedeserved.Wehopeitwillinstead
makeuslookattherealityoflifeforallofour
neighbours.Thefirststageofjusticehastobean
understandingofthetruth.neighbours.Thefirst
stageofjusticehastobeanunderstandingofthe
truth.
Basicnumberspovertyand
welfareintheUK76 £37.0
£19.1
£22.7
£31.2
£85.0
5.1
1.7
NumbersinPoverty(millions)
Inwork
Outofwork
Pensioner
Unemployed
FamilieswithChildren
Lowincomefamilies
£Billion
£5.2
HousingBenefits
DisabilityandCarersBenefits
Pensioner
10
Wearecalledtotellthetruth.The
truthisthateveryhumanbeing
isvalued,honouredandlovedby
God,regardlessoftheirmaterial
wealth.Thetruthisthatweare
allcreatedtobeinterdependent
upononeanother.Andwehavea
responsibilitytospeakthesetruths
evenwhentheyareuncomfortable
orunwelcome.
Telling the truth about povertyWhenJesussaid“thepoorwillalwaysbewithyou”,hedid
notthenadd“sothat’sallrightthen”.ThisBiblequotehas
beenusedoverthecenturiestojustifyanacceptanceofthe
injusticeofpovertyandcomplacencyinthefaceofthepoor,
butitisreallyachallengethatourresponsibilityasindividuals,
andasasociety,tothosemostvulnerablenevergoesaway.
RheinoldNiebuhrwroteoftheneedto“comforttheafflicted
andafflictthecomfortable”.ThisisapparentinJesus’
encounterswithpeopleonthemargins:thepoorest,the
vulnerable,theoutcast.Hisresponseistocomfortthoseon
themargins,butalsotochallengethedominant’truth’.
JesushearsthevoiceofBartimaeus,ablindbeggarsittingby
theroadside,ignoredbythecrowdaroundhim.Jesusrefuses
towalkby,andrespondstohiscallbyhealinghim.Jesus
sharesfoodanddrinkwithoutcasts,sinnersandtaxcollectors.
Whenaskedtocondemnawomancaughtinadultery,he
respondsbychallengingthosewhoarewithoutsintocast
thefirststone.Herefusestolistentotheloudestvoicesorthe
mostdominantstory,andinsteadsees,hearsandencounters
thosewhoareexcluded.Andatthesametimeheissuesa
sharpchallengetoeveryone,includingthosewiththepower
inasituation,thattheyareinneedofchange.Therichyoung
rulerischallengedtodecidewhattodowiththeburdenofhis
wealthandthePhariseeswhovaluetraditionmorethanGod’s
commandmentsareleftinnodoubtastoJesus’challengeto
theirpowerfulpositionofcomplacency.
Christianstoday,asthroughthe
generations,haverespondedto
Jesus’example.Manyshelters,
foodbanksandcommunity
projectshavebeenstartedby
churchesorpeopleinspiredby
theirfaith.Perhaps,however,we
arenotsogoodat“afflictingthe
comfortable”;attellingthetruth
aboutinjustice,orrecognising
whenwearecomplicitin
perpetuatingconvenientmyths.
TheBibleisclearinitswarnings
aboutinjustice.TheprophetMicah
warnsthatwhenprivilegedpeople
oppressthoseatthebottomofthe
pile,societywillfail.Likewisethe
prophetIsaiahwarnsthatwithout
truththerecannotbejusticeand
righteousnessinasociety.“Justice
isturnedback,andrighteousness
standsatadistance;fortruth
stumblesinthepublicsquare,and
uprightnesscannotenter.”Isaiah
59:14(NRSV).Whatarethetruths
thatwearecalledtorecogniseand
proclaimaboutoursocietytoday?
Ifoursocietymisrepresentsthosewhoareatitsmargins,
blamingthemfortheirpovertyandignoringthemassive
injusticesatwork,thenweareallsettofail.Wewillsee
greaterdepthsofpoverty;greatersufferingaschildrenare
entrenchedincircumstanceswhicharedamagingtobody,
mindandsoul.Wewillseeasocietywhichisunsustainable
anddivided,wherethosewithpowerorprivilegearewilfully
blindtothosewithout.
11
Thereportbeginswithacasestudy
showinghowfactsandevidencewere
benttomeettheneedsofpolicymakers.
Thereputationsofsociety’smost
disadvantagedfamiliesbecamecollateral
damageintherushtodefendanew
policy.Perhapswearenotsurprisedby
thisbutweshouldatleastbeappalled.
The ‘Troubled Families’ programme
was set up in 2011 to help some of the
most disadvantaged families in England.
The aims of targeted intervention,
better coordination of public services,
and marshalling resources to help the
disadvantaged will hopefully have
a beneficial effect. However the
announcement and media coverage is a
case study in the misrepresentation of the
poorest. The evidence used to support
the assertions about the families was
distorted to fit preconceived ideas and
grossly stigmatised them in the process.
SpeakinginNovember20112PrimeMinisterDavid
Cameronsaid:
... today, I want to talk about troubled families.
Let me be clear what I mean by this phrase.
Officialdom might call them ‘families with
multiple disadvantages.’ Some in the press might
call them ‘neighbours from hell’. Whatever you
call them, I think we have all known for years
that a relatively small number of families are the
source of a large proportion of the problems in
society.....
... Drug addiction. Alcohol abuse. Crime. A culture
of disruption and irresponsibility that cascades
through generations. We’ve always known that
these families cost an extraordinary amount of
money but now we’ve come up with the actual
figures. Last year the state spent an estimated £9
billion on just 120,000 families. That is around
£75,000 per year per family.
Now there are some who say ‘yes, this is terrible,
but this ‘Shameless’ culture is now a fact of
modern British life, and there’s nothing we can
do’. They’re the same people who believe that
poverty and failure, like death and taxes, will
always be with us. I don’t think people are pre-
programmed to fail because of where they come
from...
Troubled Families and Troubled Statistics: A case study in misrepresenting the most vulnerable
12
ThePrimeMinister’sspeech,andmanyothergovernmentannouncementssince,havelinkedthesefamilies
tocrime,drugabuse,irresponsibilityandanti-socialbehaviour.Theyhavebeencalled“neighboursfrom
hell”andblamedfora“Shamelessculture”.Yettobecountedinthe120,000,afamilyhadtoexhibit5of
thefollowing7characteristics:
• noparentinthefamilyisinwork
• familylivesinovercrowdedhousing
• noparenthasanyqualifications
• motherhasmentalhealthproblems
• atleastoneparenthasalong-standing
limitingillness,disabilityorinfirmity
• familyhaslowincome(below60%ofmedianincome)
• familycannotaffordanumberoffoodandclothingitems.
DespitethePrimeMinister’sclaimsof“disruptionandirresponsibility”inhisspeech,thereisnomeasure
ofcriminalityincludedinthesecategories.Infactatleast90%ofthechildreninthisgrouphadno
reportedinvolvementincriminaloranti-socialbehaviour3.Neitheristhereameasurefordrugabuse,or
forwhethertheywerethe“sourceofalargeproportionoftheproblemsinsociety”.Thelargestshared
characteristicofthefamiliesidentifiedwasthatthemotherhadmentalhealthproblems.Byhisown
measures,DavidCameron’s“troubledfamilies”arenot“neighboursfromhell”thathedescribes,but
instead’neighboursinneed‘.
There are not 120,000
‘Troubled Families’
Infactwedonotknowhowmany
suchfamiliestherenoware.Thefigure
of120,000originallycomesfroma
secondaryanalysisofdatacollected
in2004,andfirstpublishedin2007
bytheCabinetOffice4.Themarginof
errorofthisstudyislarge-around
plusorminus200,000.Thismeansthat
thePrimeMinistercouldbespeaking
aboutanynumberof‘troubled
families’betweenveryfewfamilies
andover300,000.Thelaterreporting
ofthepolicyintermsof120,000actual
familiesisstatisticallyflawedand
highlymisleading.
Families with troubles, not families causing trouble
These families do not cost
£9 billion
Notonlyisthenumberoffamiliesnot
known,butthefinancialestimateis
basedonaDepartmentforEducation
studyofadifferentsetof46,000
familiesidentifiedbydifferent criteria
tothePrimeMinister’s120,000
families5.The£9billionnumberalso
includesthehealth,educationand
welfarecoststhatany’untroubled‘
familywouldnormallyaccrue.
13
InJuly2012areportListening to Troubled
Families6waspublishedcontaining16casestudies
of“thekindsoffamilieswhowillbetargeted”
bytheTroubledFamiliesUnit.Itacknowledges
thatthecasestudieswerenotrepresentativebut
suggestsit“isagoodstartingplacetoinform
ourthinkingandpolicydevelopment”.Itwas
laterrevealed7thatthecasestudiesdidnotcome
fromresearchascommonlyunderstoodbut
fromanovelprocesstermed‘dipstickanalysis’
bytheDepartmentforCommunitiesandLocal
Government.Assuchitwasnotrequiredtomeet
theethical,statisticalormethodologicalstandards
expectedofdecentresearch.Inpublishingsuch
sensitivedata,thelackofethicalapprovalis
particularlyconcerningasmanydistinctive,
potentiallyidentifiable,characteristicswere
divulgedinthestories,presentingarealfearthat
theanonymityofintervieweesmayhavebeen
compromised.
Thereportmakesforharrowingreadinganditis
clearthattherearemanyfamiliesintheUKwhich
needsubstantialassistance.Butitisalsoveryclear
thatthecasestudiesarehighlyunrepresentative
ofthefamiliesintheoriginal2004data.For
examplethefamiliesinitiallyidentifiedhadan
averageoftwochildren.Thefamiliesinthecase
studieshadanaverageoffourtofivechildren.
In2011therewere130familieswith10children
inthewholeofBritainonoutofworkbenefits,
andonly10familiesonsuchbenefitswith12
children.Yetoneofeachfamilytypeappearsin
theListening to Troubled Familiesreport8.This
isextraordinarilyunlikelyusinganyrespectable
samplingtechnique.
Theclearimplicationisthatthefamiliesin
thereportwereselectedtotellasimilarstory
tothePrimeMinister’s.Theconsequencewas
torepeatanunjuststoryoffecklessness.The
authordescribedtheproblemsoffamilieswith
toomanychildrenwithoutmentioningthe
unrepresentativenatureofthefamilysizesin
thereport,andshockinglymadestatements
aboutthehighfrequencyofrapeandincestin
thecasestudyfamilies,incorrectlyimplyingthat
suchoccurrenceswerethereforecommoninthe
“120,000”families.
Thesubsequentpresscoveragewasalmost
uniformlymisleading.TheSun’stakeonthe
reportwas“ChildAbuseRifeinHellFamilies–
reportexposes120,000worsthouseholds”.The
mostcommonlyusedquotefromthereportwas
“Theprevalenceofchildsexualandphysical
abuse[andsometimeschildrape9]wasstriking
andshocking”10.Complaintsmadebythe
website“FullFact”haveledthePressComplaints
Commissiontorequireanumberofnewspapers
topublishcorrectionstotheirreports11.
Whatremainsclearisthatthe“Listening to
Troubled Families”reportprovidesnomore
substantialevidencefora“Shamelessculture”
thanthestatisticsquotedinthePrimeMinister’s
speecheightmonthspreviously.Thewide
spreadcoverageinthepressalongsidethePrime
Minister’sstatisticsprovidedthegeneralpublic
furtherreasontobelievethatthereare120,000
actualfamilies,deeplydysfunctionalandanti-
social,whocausehugeamountsofharmandcost
thepublicpurse£9billion.Noseriousevidence
waseverputforwardtosupportthis.
Bad statistics followed up with a ‘dipstick analysis’
14
Therearemanyfamiliesinneedofhelpin
theUK.TheTroubledFamiliesUnitmarshals
resourceswiththeaimofjoiningupthework
ofmanydifferentstate,privateandcharitable
organisationsthatofferhelptofamilies.Thisis
anexcellentintentionwelcomedbymanyexperts
insideandoutsidegovernment.
Butwhy,whenannouncingthispolicy,were
honestfamilieswithmultipledisadvantagesso
badlymisrepresented?Whywereirresponsibility,
criminalityandeconomicdisadvantagepresented
assharedcharacteristicsofonesetofpeople?
Andlater,whenthepolicywasbeingcriticised,
whywere120,000disadvantagedfamilies
representedasbeingthevictimsorperpetrators
ofincest,withoutanyreputableevidence?Whyis
itacceptabletotwistthefactsinordertosupport
whatthePrimeMinistersaid“wehadallknown
forsometime”–thatdisadvantagedfamiliesare
alsodysfunctionalfamilies?
Formany,120,000familiesisacomfortable
numberofpeopletobein’real‘poverty.Big
enoughtosuperficiallyexplainthesymptoms
ofpovertyaroundus;smallenoughthatthe
problemiscontainedanddoesnotrequirean
inconvenientlylargeefforttotackleit.The
numberallowstheunderstandingofpoverty
tobecompactedandsimplified–itencourages
theideathatpoorbehaviourandpovertyare
synonymous.Itisalsountrue.
Themythsaroundthe‘TroubledFamilies’have
enteredintocountlessgovernmentstatements
andpolicies,includingtheSocialJusticestrategy12.
Justasimportantlytheyhaveenteredintopublic
debatearoundthecausesandeffectsofpoverty
intheUK.Thisonlyservestopollutethedebate
byprovidinguntrueorskewed’evidence‘tothose
whowishtoattributepovertytoasmallnumber
ofdysfunctionalfamilies,andthosewhowishto
believethesefamiliesarepartofa“Shameless
culture”.
Misrepresentingdisadvantagedfamiliesaswhat
onenationalnewspapercalled“Britain’sworst
scumbags13”willonlymaketheirdifficultlives
moredemandingaswellasmakingthegood
workoftheTroubledFamiliesUnitharder.
Making the evidence fit: “what we have all known for some time”
Thestoryofthe‘TroubledFamilies’isacasestudyofexcellentinitialresearch
beingmisusedforpoliticalpurposes.Theoriginalstudyshowedtherewere
alargenumberoffamilies,highlydisadvantagedandmainlyinpoverty,
whowereinneedofhelp.Thisfactwasmisusedtotellastoryof120,000
dysfunctional,anti-socialfamiliescostingthenationafortune;astorywhich
makestheexistenceofpovertyfarmoreacceptabletothosewhoarenot
affected.
Therearemanyothermythsaboutpovertyandthelivesofthepoorest.Each
oneallowsustofeelbetteraboutlivinginasocietywheresomanypeople
justscrapeby,existingratherthanthriving.Placingtheblameforpovertyon
thebadbehaviourofthepoorestencouragesustoacceptinequalityandthe
damageitdoestooursociety,andithidesthecomplexnatureofpovertyin
ournation.Withoutfacinguptotherealitiesofpovertywewillnevercome
closetotacklingitandenablingthosewhoaretrappedtobegintofulfiltheir
potential.
Convenient Myths
about the Poor
15
Theperceptionthatmostpeopleinpovertyowe
theirsituationtolazinessrunscountertothemost
basicoffacts.Themajorityoffamiliesthatlive
inpovertydosodespitebeinginemployment.
Excludingpensioners,thereare6.1millionpeople
infamiliesinworklivinginpovertycompared
with5.1millionpeopleinpovertyfromworkless
households.
ThebottomendoftheUKlabourmarketis
characterisedbyalargenumberofpeople(1.4
million)whoworkfewerhoursthantheywould
want,andalargeturnoverofpeoplemoving
fromaninsecurelow-paidjobwithminimal
employmentrightstounemploymentandback
again.
Inthelast20yearstheproportionofpensioners
livinginpovertyhasmorethanhalved:in1991
theyweretheagegroupmostlikelytoexperience
poverty.Now16%ofpensionersliveinpoverty,
whichmakesthemtheagegroupleastlikelyto
experiencepoverty.Thiswelcomedecreaseinthe
pensionerpovertyratehasbeenachievedinlarge
partbysubstantialincreasesinwelfarespending
onthatgroup.
‘Poverty only affects those who are old or don’t work’
TherehasbeenaresurgenceoftheideathatmanyoftheUK’spoorhavea’cultureofworklessness‘,
implyingthatworklessnessisastateofmind,alongwithanewafflictioncalled’welfaredependency‘,
portrayingthebenefitclaimantasaperpetualchildforevertakingfromtheparentstate.
Theideaofacultureofworklessnessbearsthehallmarksoftheage-oldprejudicethatthepoorarepoor
becausetheyarelazy.In1753JohnWesleysaid,“Sowickedly,devilishlyfalseisthatcommonobjection,
‘Theyarepoor,onlybecausetheyareidle’.”HistorypointstoWesleybeingcorrectthen,theevidence
pointstoWesleybeingcorrectnow.
Myth 1: ‘They’ are lazy and don’t want to work
Amanda*says:“Myhusbandworkedformanyyearswhenourtwochildrenwereyoung.Itooworked
part-time.In1998,Ibecameillwithalong-termandlife-threateningheartcondition.Duetothestress,my
husbandhadanervousbreakdown.Hestillhasdepressionandanxietytothisday.Thatgreatlyimpactson
hisqualityoflifeandabilitytowork(hisconditionvariesinseverityonadaytodaybasis).”
“Currently,apartfrombeingacarertomyhusband,Ihavetrainedandqualifiedasacounsellor,and
currentlyworkvoluntarilywithinalocalmentalhealthcharity.Ialsoamabefriendertoapersonwith
mentalhealthissues,withinthesameserviceprovider.Ihavealsoappliedtovolunteeratalocalfoodbank.
Mypointbeing,isthatIbelieve‘Igiveback’tosociety.Idonotsleepinuntil2pmandmoocharoundinmy
pyjamaswatchingJeremyKyleasthemediaportrays.”
* Not her real name. Case study provided by The Anti-Bedroom Tax Campaign
www.facebook.com/#!/groups/antibedroomtax/
16
Thenumberofpeopleclaimingout-of-workbenefitsbecauseofsickness
ordisabilityhassteadilydecreasedsincethemid-1990s,whilsttheseverity
oftheclaimants’conditionshaveinturnincreased.Theaccusationthat
incapacitybenefitswereusedtohidepeoplemoreproperlydescribed
asunemployedmayhavehadsomevalidityintheaftermathofthede-
industrialisationofthe1980s.However,today’sclaimantsarenotthe
hiddenunemployed.
TheWorkCapabilityAssessment,usedbytheDepartmentofWorkand
Pensions(DWP)todeterminewhetherapersonisfittowork,hasbeen
muchcriticised,includingbytheBritishMedicalAssociation15,andhas
ledtoanextraordinarilyhighrateofsuccessfulappeals16.InGlasgowthe
AssessmentCentreislocallyknownas’Lourdes‘asmanygoinsickbutcome
outdeemed’fitforwork‘.Yet,astheheadlinesprintedhereshow,even
theseflawedresultshavebeensubjecttoinaccuratereportingthatfurther
promotesthelazinessmyth.
TheWorkCapabilityAssessmentusesascoringsystemtodetermine
whetherpeopleareeligiblefortheEmploymentSupportAllowance(ESA),
adisabilitybenefit.Peopleareputintooneofthreecategoriesdepending
ontheirscoreafteraseriesofquestions.TobeplacedineithertheSupport
GrouportheWorkRelatedActivityGroup,andthereforebeeligiblefor
ESA,apersonmustdemonstrate,thattheir“capabilityforworkislimited
bytheirphysicalormentalcondition,andthelimitationissuchthatitisnot
reasonabletorequiretheclaimanttowork17”.Sectionsofthepresshave
regularlydescribedpeopleintheWorkRelatedActivityas“fittowork”in
theirreportsontheissue.
“There really are
far, far too many
people sponging
off the taxpayer
right now with their
fake or exaggerated
disabilities”JamesDelingpole,Daily
Telegraph,26January2012
“Eight out of ten
claiming [incapacity]
benefits are fit to
work”14 Daily Mail,24January2012
TheimplicationoftheDaily Mailheadlineisclear–lotsofdisabilitybenefit
claimsarefraudulent.Incasethatwasnotobviousthearticleiswitha
pictureofamandoingheavyliftingdespitemakingaclaimforarthritis.
ADWPreportshowedthatonly10%ofpeoplewentbacktotheirold
jobsafterbeingfoundfully“fitforwork”,andonly18%foundanyother
employment16.Itisatrulyaninhospitablejobmarketforpeopleleaving
benefits,especiallyincapacitybenefits.
17
“About 1.4 million
people spent almost
ten years on out-of-
work benefits under
the last government”IainDuncanSmith, New
Statesman18,11June2011
‘Unemployed
people choose to
stay on benefits’Theaveragelength
oftimespentonJob
Seeker’sAllowance(JSA)
is13weeks22
Themyththatpeopledon’twanttoworkisoftenbackedupbythe
assertionthatmanyofthemhavebeenunemployedforyears.IainDuncan
Smith’sremark(left)isrepeatedlyquotedtopromotetheideaofaculture
ofworklessness.Forexample,intheCabinetOfficepublicationState of the
nation report: poverty, worklessness and welfare dependency,itispresented
asthekeyfactdemonstratingthatthebenefitsystemencouragespeople
nottowork19.Yetinthatcontextthenumberanditssubsequentuseis
profoundlymisleading.
UsingotherfiguresproducedbytheDWPatthesametimeitisclearthat
only0.1%ofdecade-longbenefitclaimantsareunemployed.Therestare
carers(2.2%),loneparentsofyoungchildrenonincomesupport(6.5%)and
thoseonincapacitybenefits(90.5%)20.Althoughtheanalysisdocumentused
tomakethe1.4millionclaimstatesthatthenumberdoesnotonlyreflect
thenumberofunemployed,itfailstoprovideabreakdownofclaimants.21
Becauseofthisthenumberhascommonlybeenmisunderstood–and
misused–asacountofthenumberofpeopleinlong-termunemployment.
Whilefindingasuitablejobwouldtransformthelivesofmanyofthese
peoplethereasontheyweren’tworkingwasduetoanunderstoodand
provendisability.Thatdisabilitywasnotwelfaredependency.
Astonishingly,accordingtothegovernment’sownstatistics,morepeople
receivedbenefitsduetoterminalillnessandyetsurvivedforadecade,than
wereunemployedforadecade.
UnemploymentintheUKistypicallyshortbutfrequent.Thisistheso-called
“low-pay/no-paycycle”,withpeoplemovingbetweeninsecurelow-paid
employmentandbenefits,atrendthatincreasedduringthe1990sand
2000s.People’swillingnessrepeatedlytore-enterahostilelabourmarket
forlimitedrewardsisevidence,notofacultureofworklessnessorwelfare
dependency,butofadeterminationtogainadecentincome,andtodo
thatthroughwork.
Theydothisinthefaceofsignificantdisincentives.Thereisashortage
ofemploymentacrosstheUnitedKingdom.Inadditionthemajorityof
jobsavailabletoyoungpeopleorthosewithfewskillsorqualifications
areoften’flexible‘.Forpeopleonlowpay,thismeansvariablehours,
latenightshifts,fewprotectionsandbeingatthewhimoftheemployer,
makingithardtojugglewithfamilyandcaringresponsibilities.Andwhilst
peoplearealmostinvariablybetteroffinwork,thedelaysanduncertainty
ofmovingbackandforthbetweendifferentbenefitscanmakethese
transitionsdangerousandcostly.TheintroductionofUniversalCredit
shouldeventuallymakesomeoftheprocessessimpler,butrulechangesin
thetaxcreditelementshavemadepeopleworkingsmallnumbersofhours
considerablyworseoff.
18
“Threegenerationsthathaveneverworked”isperhapstheoldestand
mostpervasivemisleadingstatementpromotingthemythofacultureof
worklessnessintheUKtoday.Itremainspartofthecommonlanguage
inthedebatearoundpovertyintheUK.Thereferenceisasinaccurateas
itisubiquitous,andyetchurchwebsites23,policestatements24andlocal
government25reportsallrefertothisphenomenon,clearlyingoodfaith.
Itismoreworryingwhengovernmentministersorexpertsusethistypeof
languagetorefertothosewhoselivestheirpoliciesmostaffect.Advisors26,
ministersattheDWP,andeventheSecretaryofState,IainDuncanSmith27
haverepeatedthisclaim.MinisterofStateChrisGraylingwentevenfurther
totalkaboutfourgenerationsofworklessness28.Yetthereisnocredible
evidencethatsuchfamiliesactuallyexist.
TheDWPsaysitdoesnotcollectrelevantdataontheissue29.Other
evidence30suggeststhatinlessthan0.1%ofthe20millionworkingage
householdsthereare2generationsthathaveneverhadapermanentjob.
Thenumbersofsuchfamilies,ifanyexist,aresovanishinglysmallthatno
surveyhasyetbeenabletodetectthemuchcitedthreegenerationsof
worklessness.Importantly,despitestrenuousefforts,researchershavebeen
unabletofindanyfamilieswherethreegenerationshadneverworked.
Theterm“generationsofworklessness”deliberatelyimplieslaziness,
andsuggestsanentirefamilysittingfortheirwholelivesinfrontofthe
television.Itisimportanttonotethatthestatisticsforthosewhohave
“neverworked”willincludepeoplewhocannotworkduetodisabilityor
caringforafamilymember,andthatanytemporaryorseasonalworkis
ignoredinthegovernment’sstatistics.
Thosefewinthe“twogenerationsofworklessness”categorytendtolivein
areasofhighunemploymentandusuallytheyoungestpersonofworking
ageisarecententranttothejobmarket,sohasnotbeenunemployedfor
long.
Forexample,afamilywouldbecountedastwogenerationsofworklessness
ifoneparentwasseriouslydisabled,theotherparentwastheirlongterm
carerintemporaryemploymentandtheirchildhadjustturned16butdid
nothaveacollegeplace.
The“threegenerationsofworklessness”mythisoftenmentionedwhen
contrastingthegoodexamplesetbyaparentgoingouttoworkagainst
the’bad‘exampleofaparentstayingathome31.Itsuggeststhatalackof
motivationisinheritedfromparents.However,thefewstudiesavailable
showthatthechildrenofthelong-termworklessvaluework,understanding
itsfinancialandsocialbenefits32.Thelessontheyappeartobelearningfrom
theirparentisthattheydon’twanttolivealifeonbenefits.
“Behind the
statistics lie
households where
three generations
have never had a
job”(TonyBlair,June1997,to
anaudienceatAylesbury
housingestate,London)
19
Poverty,ontheotherhand,ispasseddownthroughthegenerations.Inthe
UK,thewealthofaparenthasmoreeffectondeterminingachild’sfuture
wealth,educationandhealththaninanyotherdevelopednation33.The
questionofhowdisadvantageispasseddowngenerationsisimportant
andmeritsseriousthought,butblamingitonaninheritedlazinessisnota
credibleoption.
Theideaof“generationsofworklessness”isappealingasitembedsinherited
povertyfirmlyinthefailingofthefamily,butitdoesnotreflectreality.
A Culture of Worklessness?
Ideasofa“cultureofworklessness”became
popularinthelate1990sandhavebeena
mainstreampartofpublicdebatefromthemid
2000sonwards.Yetastheideawasdevelopedthe
numberspointedtopeoplehavinganincreasing
engagementwiththeworkplace.Thenumber
ofpeoplereceivingout-of-workbenefitsfellfor
overadecadeuntilthebankingcrisisof2007.
Long-termunemployment(over12months)
haddecreasedmarkedlysince1994alongside
adeclineinthenumberofpeoplereceiving
incapacitybenefitsandloneparentsclaiming
incomesupport.Atthesametime,forthelow-
paidtheworkplacehadbecomemoreinsecure
andwageshaddeclinedrelativetotherestof
thepopulation,yetpeoplecontinuedtoengage
withitingreaternumbers.Theevidencebetter
lendsitselftotellingastoryoftheUKdeveloping
anincreasedworkethic,peopleworkingdespite
lowerrewards,butfewchoosetotellthatstory.
Despiteevidencetothecontrary,themajority
oftheBritishpublicbelievesthatthewelfare
systemhascreatedacultureofworklessnessand
dependencywhichoftenrunsthroughentire
families34.Thisbeliefmayarisefromknowing,
ormorelikelyhearingabout,singleindividual
stories.Whenthegovernmentandsectionsofthe
mediaabuseevidencesowildly,isitanywonder
thattheseindividualstoriesarebelievedtobe
representativeofwholesectionsofsociety?The
ideaofa“cultureofworklessness”hindersthe
developmentofeffectivepoliciestohelpthose
whocan’twork.Justasimportantly,itdrives
awedgeofstigmabetweenthosewhoneed
supportandtherestoftheircommunities.
20
Around100,000people,or4%of
claimants,ofthemainout-of-work
benefits,claimbecauseofalcohol
ordrugabuse.Thesearemajor
problemsbutbynostretchofthe
imaginationthemajorcauseof
welfarebillsorpoverty38.Drugabuse
isthefirststoryintheministerial
forewordofthegovernment’sSocial
Justice Strategy.Giventhatthe
majorityofpeopleinpovertyare
alsoinwork,thenarguablyin-work
povertyshouldbeattheforefrontof
anystrategy.
“Thehouseofchildrenwhoseparentsareaddictedtocrack
cocaine.Dadhaspassedoutonthemattressinhisown
vomit;mumiscrouchedoveratable,preparingherfix.What
youdon’tseeisthechildhiddeninthecornercrying.”35
Thispassageistakenfromthefirstpageofthegovernment’s
Social Justice Strategy,usingaquotefromchildrenaffected
bydrugabuse.TheStrategyimmediatelythenreferstothe
“120,000troubledfamilies”,eventhoughtherewasno
evidenceofalinkbetweendrugsandthesefamilies.
Myth 2: ‘They’ are addicted to drink and drugs
Theideathataddictionisamajordriverofpoverty
isapowerfulone.Whenaskedtoidentifypotential
causesofchildpovertyfrom15options,peoplechoose
“Theirparentssufferfromalcoholism,drugabuseor
addiction”asthesecondhighestoptionafter“Their
parentsdonotwanttowork”36.Churchgoershavethe
sameview37.
Theideaofpovertybeingcausedbyaddictionstodrinkand
drugsispowerfulonebecauselikemanyofthebeststories,
ithasanelementoftruth.Theseaddictionshavethepower
toruinlivesandlikemanyillnesses(andbaddecisions)the
consequencesofthemisuseofdrugsareoftenmuchgreater
forthoseinpoverty.Butitisamyththattheseareproblems
onlyofthepoorest,orthatasizeableproportionofthe
poorestarepoorbecauseoftheiraddictions.
InEngland6.4%ofadultsdemonstratedsomeformof
alcoholdependencewith0.5%showingmoderateor
severelevelsofdependence.Nationalscaleresearchhas
failedtodemonstrateacorrelationbetweenalcohol
dependenceofanydegreeandincomelevels39.Despite
thisthegovernmentisproposingtousethealcohol
dependencyofaparentasanindicatorofchildpoverty.
Parentalalcoholabuseiscertainlyaveryseriouscause
ofchildhoodneglect,andshouldbetackledforthis
reason.Butitisnotameasureofpovertyandshould
notbeusedassuch.
Useofillicitdrugsismuchrarer
thanuseofalcohol(especiallyClass
Adrugs)andisalsosurprisingly
evenlyspreadthroughout
theincomespectrum.Drug
dependenceismorecommonin
peoplewithlowerincomes,but
eventhenthemajorityofpeople
withdrugdependencyliveabove
thepovertyline40.
Todaychurchescontinuetoseekto
endthevastarrayofpersonaland
socialproblemscausedbyalcohol
anddrugs.Theydosoforthebenefit
ofsocietyasawholeandforthose
affectedwhocomefromallspheres
ofsociety.Addictionshavethe
powertodevastatefamiliesand
communities,buttheyshouldnot
bemistakenasafflictionsmainlyof
thoselivinginpoverty,norcanthey
realisticallybedescribedasthemajor
causeofthepovertyexperiencedby
13millionpeopleintheUKtoday.
21
Myth 3: ‘They’ are not really poor - they just don’t manage their money properly
Kibria*isasinglemuminherearly30s.OriginallyfromIndia,shelivesinOxfordwithherthreedaughters.
Thefourofthemliveinatwo-bedflat.Heroldestdaughteris14andshehastwinswhoare13.
Sheworks21hoursaweekasacleaner.Asaresult,sheisnotentitledtoreceivefreeschoolmealsforher
children,thoughthiswouldhelpsignificantly.Sheaskedtheschoolifshecouldgetthem,buttheysaidno.
“Iwantedthechildrentohavethem[freeschoolmeals]sotheycouldgetmore–notjustbread.
“Daytodaylifeisveryhard.Itisastruggletoprovidetheuniformthechildrenneedbecausetheygrowso
quickly.Ican’tjustgoouttoshoptobuyanythingIneed.Food,bills,necessities–everythingisexpensive
now,harderthanbefore.
“Ihavehadtoreducetheamountofmeatweeatcomparedtolastyear[2011].Wecanonlyaffordtoeat
soupandvegetablesmostdays.
“Iwanttobeabletogivemychildrenmorethanjustthebasicsbutcan’taffordto.Thereisnomoneyto
getoutofthecityasitistooexpensive,ortogotoarestaurant.Therearenoextras.”
*Notherrealname.
Case study provided by The Children’s Society www.childrenssociety.org.uk
On18December2012aprivate
members’billwasintroducedin
ParliamentbyAlecShelbrooke
MP.MrShelbrookeproposed
thatallbenefitstoworkingage
familiesshouldbepaidusing
anelectroniccardwhichwould
preventclaimantsfromspending
theirmoneyonnon-essential
itemssuchas“drugs,cigarettes,
alcohol”or“SkyTV”.Thebill,
thoughunlikelytobecomelaw,
wasbornofacommonbelief
thatfamiliesinpovertyare
unabletoaffordthenecessities
oflifebecausetheywastetheir
money.
In a survey 59% of people thought “‘the poor’
could manage if they budgeted sensibly.”41
Asthesurveysuggests,thisisacommonbeliefandonewhich
isalsoexpressedinchurches.Asingleluxuryorpurchasethat
isviewedbysomeasunnecessaryisoftenallthatisrequiredto
perpetuatethismythinone’sownmind.Theexperienceofpeople
workingwithfamiliesinpovertyanddetailedanalysisofspending
habitsrefutesthisidea.
SavetheChildren,initsrecentreport It shouldn’t happen here,
expressesadmirationthatparentsonalowincomeareoften
adept,outofnecessity,atmanagingontightbudgetsand
protectingtheirchildrenfromtheworsteffectsofpoverty.Even
withgoodbudgetingtheyhaverecentlyfoundinonecommunity
thatwelloverhalf(61%)ofparentsinpovertysaytheyhavecut
backonfood,andoveraquarter(26%)saytheyhaveskipped
mealsinthepastyear42.Itistellingthatthisisoccurringaswelfare
paymentsaredecreasingandthepriceofessentialssuchasfood
andenergyarerisingconsiderablyfasterthaninflation43.
22
TheOfficeofNationalStatisticsproducesanannual
seriesofdataonhowtheUKpopulationspendsits
money,andbreaksdowntheinformationbyincome
group.Itmaycomeasnosurprisethatinevery
broadareaofspendingthepoorestspendless–both
lessthantheaverageandlessthanthewealthiest.
Thisincludesexpenditureonalcohol,tobaccoand
gambling.Alcoholexpenditureandconsumption
increasegreatlyasyougouptheincomescale.The
mostrecentdatafromtheNHS44showsconsumption,
includingharmfullevelsofconsumption,increasing
withsocioeconomicgroupandwithincome.
Importantlyitalsoshowsthatalcoholisconsumed
lessbytheunemployedthanbythoseinwork.
Themostrecentdata(2010/11)showsthat,while
thetoptenthoffamiliesearnovereighttimesas
muchasthebottomtenth,thewealthiestonly
spendaroundfiveandahalftimesasmuchasthe
poorest,largelybecausewealthierpeopleareableto
savewhilethoseonlowincomesareusuallyunable
to.Thepoorestspendamuchlargerproportion
oftheirbudgetonessentialitemssuchasheating
andenergy,staplefoods,andbusesasthecheapest
formoftransport.Theareaswherethepoorest
spendamuchlowerproportionthantheaverage
arerecreation,culture,leisure,eatingoutandgoing
outforadrink.Forinstance,thewealthiesttenth
ofhouseholdswillspendthirtytimesmoregoing
outtothecinemathanthepooresttenth.Holidays
andmoreexpensiveformsoftransportsuchascar
purchasesortrainandairtravel,arealmostentirely
absentfromthebudgetsoftheleastwell-off.
Thestereotypedimage45ofapersonon
benefitswatchingsatellitetelevisiononan
expensiveflatscreenTVisunderminedeven
morebythefigures.Theaveragespendon
TVandinternetfortheleastwell-offtenth
offamiliesisconsiderablylessthanthecost
ofthemostbasicsubscriptionTVpackage
andisbarelyenoughtopayforaTVlicence.
Ofcourseitisimpossibletosaythat
everyoneonlowincomespendstheirmoney
wisely.Itwouldbefoolishtothinkthatany
oftheincomegroupsbehaveuniformlyor
completelyresponsibly.However,poorer
families,outofnecessity,tendtobecome
goodatmanagingtheirmoney46.Thedata
givesenoughinformationtosaythatasa
wholepeopleinpovertyspendtheirmoney
fairlywisely.Wecanalsosaywithconfidence
thatbadspendinghabitsandprofligate
lifestylesarenotthereasonwhymany
struggletoaffordthebasicnecessitiesof
life.
23
“We estimate that £5 billion is being lost this
way [through benefit fraud] each year.”49
ChancelloroftheExchequer,HouseofCommons20October
2010
DespiteChancellorGeorgeOsborne’sclaiminthe
Commons,thecorrectfigureforbenefitfraudwasatthe
time£1.6billion50.The£5billionfigurewasreachedby
combiningthefraudfigurewiththatforerrorsmadeby
governmentaswellasclaimants.
Thelatest(2011/12)figuresforwelfarefraudacross
thebenefitandtaxcreditsystemshowafigureof
£1.9billion,whichislessthantheamountunderpaid
toclaimantsbecauseoferrors,givinganhistorically
lowfraudrateof0.9%53.Theestimatedfraudratefor
taxation54isaroundfourtoseventimeshigher.Ifyouare
lookingforfraud,ataxreturnismuchabetterplaceto
lookthanabenefitstatement.
Myth 4: ‘They’ are on the fiddle
Melaniehadherfirstchild,Max,almostayearago.Thetransitionintomotherhoodhasnotbeenaseasy
asshewouldhavehoped–especiallyfinancially.ThelocalActionforChildrencentrewasabletogiveher
supportthroughtheseearlymonths.
“It’squiteajumptogofromworkingtoonlyreceivingChildBenefit.You’reconstantlyhavingtobudget.
AndIhavemylittleone,soI’mtryingtodoswimmingandthingslikethatwithhim.Mypartnerisself-
employedandworksfull-time.I’mpayingforhalfofeverything,butwe’remostlyrelyingonhisincome
atthemoment.It’sstartingtogetabitofastruggle.Heishopingtoearnabitmoreofanincome,so
hopefullyhewillpayoffthedebtsreallysoonaswell.It’sonthe[credit]cardsatthemoment.
“Wearebiddingforaslightlybiggerplaceasweareinaonebedroomflat,andMaxissevenmonths:
weneedanotherbedroom.Beingputupabandwouldbehelpful,buttheydon’tseemtothinkit’svery
urgent…Icanmanagewiththemoney,butforhowlongIdon’tknow.IamhopingitwillgoupwhenIgo
backtowork.”
Melanierecentlyreturnedtoworkandeverythingisgoingwellforher,Maxandherpartner.
Case study provided by Action for Children www.actionforchildren.org.uk
“The fake disabled are
crippling our economy” JamesDelingpole,Daily Telegraph,
26January2012
Oneofthebiggestpovertymythsisthat
benefitclaimantsarefraudulentand
fiddlinglargesumsofmoney.Overthe
last15years,between80%and90%
consistentlyagreewiththestatement
that“Largenumbersfalselyclaim
benefits”47.Thetruthisthatbenefit
fraud,whilstunacceptable,accounts
forarelativelysmallpart-0.9%-of
thewelfarebudget,whereasthe
governmentestimatestaxfraudtobe
between4%and6%oftaxincome48.
24
‘I know someone fiddling their benefits’
Ifyoubelieveyouknowsomeoneclaimingbenefitfraudulently,youmightberightbutitiswellworth
thinkingagain.Inasurvey,onlyoneinfivedisabledpeoplesaidthattheirdisabilitywasusually”obvious
toanyonewhentheyseemeinthestreet”.Nearlytwiceasmanysaidthatpeopleusually”onlyknow
aboutmydisabilityifItellthem”.Manypeopleareveryprivateaboutthefacttheyclaimbenefitsand
wishtokeepthereasonsforclaimingtothemselves.Growingstigmaaroundbenefitshasincreasedthis
tendency55+56.
Itisstrikingthatwhenpeoplearemovedtoreportsomeoneforbenefitfraudtheyareveryrarely
correct.Thebenefitfraudhotlinereceivesoveraquarterofamillioncallsayear.Onlyafifthofcallsare
deemedtohavesufficientmerittobeinvestigated,andinlessthanatenthofthoseinvestigatedisfraud
found.In2009/10,74out75ofpeoplewhothoughttheirneighbourwascommittingbenefitfraudwere
wrong,57andtensofthousandsofgenuineclaimantsweresubjectedtoexpensiveandsometimesintrusive
investigationunnecessarily.
Themyththatbenefitfraudisprevalentisapopularone,stokedbythemisuseofstatistics,lazyheadline
writers,andlackofknowledgeaboutindividualcircumstances.Ifallbenefitswerepaidcompletely
accuratelyandwithoutanyfraudthewelfaresystemwouldactuallycostmuchmore.Thecostoferrors
inthebenefitsystemthatleadtopeoplegettingunderpaidarelargerthanthebillforfraud.Butmore
importantlytheamountofbenefitsthatgounclaimedisovertentimestheamountlostinfraud58.
25
Alexmovedoutofhisfostercarer’safewyearsago.Likemanyyoung
peoplehisage,heistryingtostandonhisowntwofeet.
Inspiteofhisbestefforts,includingvolunteeringandtakingcourses,
Alexhasbeenunabletofindwork.AlexhasdyspraxiaandGlobal
DevelopmentDelay.
Ratherthanfeelingcomfortablewithinthewelfaresystem,Alex
strugglestocopewiththeweeklypanicofhavingtoclaimbenefits.
Earlierthisyear,areductioninhisDisabilityLivingAllowancestarteda
dominoeffectonhisotherbenefitsandhehadtomovefromhisone
bedroomflatintoabedsit.“Everytwoweeks,IpanicincaseIhaven’t
donesomethingrightonthe[Jobseeker’sAllowance]form.
“It’shorrible.Ihavealittlemoney,butiftheydidcutmymoneyfor,
say,twoweeksIwouldn’tknowwhattodo…There’sbeenafew
changeswithmymoneythisyear,whichhasbeenquiteworrying.Very
worrying,actually.It’sabitcomplicated,butbecauseI’msortofmore
abletoliveonmyowntheycutmyDisability[LivingAllowance].”
DespitetheinstabilityinAlex’slife,hefeelsthathisconfidenceis
growingandsaysheismore“abletodealwithknock-backs.”However,
astablejobisstilltheultimategoal;notonlyofferingtheprospectofa
secureincome,butthedifferencebetweenmakeorbreak.
Case study provided by Action for Children www.actionforchildren.org.uk
Myth 5: ‘They’ have an easy life on benefits
“Let’s face the tough truth – that many people on the doorstep at the last election, felt that too often we were for shirkers not workers.” LiamByrneMP,LabourPartyspokesmanforWorkand
Pensions,26September2011
“But fairness is also about being fair to the person who leaves home every morning to go out to work and sees their neighbour still asleep, living a life on benefits”
ChancellorGeorgeOsborne,AutumnStatement2012
Thethemerunningthroughtheseremarksandmanyothers,isthatalifeonbenefitsisagoodone–a
privilegedoneeven.Thisisthemythicallifeofsomeoneonbenefits;onewhereyoucanenjoylyinginbed
allday,getpaidtodowhateveryouwantandhaveasmanychildrenasyouwantwithoutworryingabout
thecost.Thedebateabout’bringingfairness‘hasfedthismythoftheprivilegeofwelfare.However,it
lacksafirmgroundingintherealityofthelivesofthefamiliessupportedbythewelfaresystem.
Skivers vs Strivers?
Themajorityofthose
onout-of-workbenefits
aresickordisabled.The
secondlargestgroup
istheunemployed.
Thegovernment’snew
WellbeingIndexshowed
that,withtheexception
ofthoseinbadhealth,the
unemployedweretheleast
happyandleastsatisfied
withlife.Ingeneralthese
familiesgivelittleoutward
signofhavinganeasylife.
26
Choosing welfare as a ’lifestyle choice’
IntheUKmanypeoplestartoffwithlimited
choicesopentothem.Peoplewitharealset
ofchoiceswouldnotchoosealifestyleon
benefits.Thechallengeistoofferpeople
realisticpathstocreateforthemselvesa
differentlifestyle.
Thebeliefthatfamiliesarechoosingtoliveonwelfareasa’lifestylechoice‘iscommon.
The’lifestyle‘whichpeoplelivingonwelfareexperienceisonewithaverylowincome,
onaveragelesshappy,andonewithpoorerthanaveragehealthforthemselvesandtheir
children.Itwouldappeartobeastrangechoicetomake.
Claimingbenefitsisfarfromeasy.Toclaimanybenefit
afamilymustprovetheyqualifyandtheymustkeep
provingit.Thirtyyearsagotheunemployedhadto
’signon‘.Theyturneduponceafortnighttosigna
declarationthattheyweren’tcurrentlyworkingbut
werepreparedtowork;formostlittleelsewasasked
ofthem.Todayitisverydifferent.Claimantsforthe
newUniversalCreditandJobseeker’sAllowancehave
tobeabletodemonstratetheyhaveengagedin
worksearch,beenavailableforwork,andundertake
coursesandinterviewsthattheirJobCentreadvisor
believeswillbeofhelp.Mostclaimantsassessedto
haveadisabilitysevereenoughthattheycannot
immediatelyworkwillstillbeaskedtodotasks
intendedtopreparethemforwork,andwillbe
subjecttoatleastanannualreassessmentoftheir
condition.
Ifclaimantsdonotcomplytheycanbe’sanctioned‘
or,inreality,fined.Forexample,failuretoattend
anappointmentataJobCentreleadstobenefits
beingstoppedforamonth.Failuretoattendthree
interviewscanleadtotwelvemonthswithoutany
financialsupport.Sanctionsformoreseriousbreaches
ofthejobseeker’sagreementcanleaveafamilywith
nosupportforthreeyears.
Thesefinescanbeimposedforminorbreachesof
thejobseeker’sagreement.Theydonotrequireany
judicialprocess,challengingthemdoesnotqualify
forlegalaid,andintheexperienceofmanycanbe
unjustandarbitrary.Anumberoforganisationshave
examplesofpeoplebeingsanctionedbecausethey
weresickorattendingjobinterviewsratherthanan
interviewattheJobCentre60.Thenumberofsanctions
hasrisensharplysinceearly2010,andappearstobe
thelargestsinglecauseofpeopleneedinghelpfrom
foodbanks61.
Navigatingthewelfaresystemcanbe
confusingandfrightening.Manypeoplefeel
theprocessisdesignedtocatchthemout.
TheSpartacus Report62provideseloquent
testimonytotheexperienceofclaiming
disabilitybenefits.Claimantsdescribethe
moststigmatisingpartofbeingonbenefitsis
theprocesstheymustrepeatedlygothrough
toclaimtheirbenefits.63
Claimingbenefitsandstayingonbenefitsis
noteasy.Livingunderthethreatthatone
mistake(orperceivedmistake),mightbe
abletodriveyourfamilytohungerisnot
comfortable.Formostpeoplebenefitsare
anecessaryshorttermstop-gap.Formost
ofthosewhostayonbenefitslongterm
itisbecausetheyareforcedtothrough
sicknessordisability.Thelifestoriesofthe
fewremaininglongtermclaimantswouldbe
varied–butitishardtoimaginethatthey
couldoftenbecharacterisedas’choosinga
lifestyleonbenefits’.
27
Thereisawidespreadbeliefthat
benefitsaretoogenerousand
encouragepeoplenottowork.
Thosewhobelievethisalso
tendtobelievethatbenefitsare
higherthantheyactuallyare.On
averagetheUKpublicestimates
benefitlevelstobearounda
thirdhigherthanreality64.
‘Benefits are generous’
‘It pays to be out of work and have more children’
Benefitlevelshaveneverbeensetwithreferencetothecostof
living65andsince1979havehalvedrelativetotheaveragewage66.
TheJosephRowntreeFoundationcalculatesa“minimumincome
standard”byaskingthepublicwhattheybelieveisessential
inordertohaveabasicstandardoflivingintheUKtoday.An
unemployedsinglepersonover25willreceiveinbenefitsjust
40%oftheminimumincomestandardwhileacouplewithtwo
childrenwillreceive60%oftheirneeds.Onlypensionersreceive
theminimumincomestandardwhensolelyrelyingonbenefits51.
Whenafamilyisnotworkinghavingmorechildrenreducesitsstandardofliving.Anout-of-workcouple
withonechildreceive£171aweekbelowtheminimumincomestandard,whichrisesto£179shortwith
twochildrenand£215aweekshortwiththree.Forasingleparentthedropintheirstandardoflivingis
evenmorepronounced.Asingleparentwithonechildis£191belowtheminimumincomestandard,rising
to£230and£271withthesecondandthirdchild.Therearemanywaysofmeasuringit,butthemessageis
clear:beingonbenefitsandhavingmorechildrenmakesafamilyworseoff.
Largefamiliesonbenefitsarerare.Only8%offamiliesonout-ofworkbenefitshavethreeormore
children.Around130familieswith10childrenareonthemainout-of-workbenefitsinthewholecountry,
andonly10familieswith12children67.DespitefeaturingprominentlyinthemediaandintheSpeaking to
Troubled Familiesreportreferredtoearlier,verylargefamiliesonbenefitsareinrealityextremelyrare.
Itisalsoimportanttonotethat,despitemuchrhetoric,thereisnoseriousevidencethatbenefits
encouragepeopletohavechildren.Familieshaveonaverage1.8childrenintheUKwhatevertheirsocio-
economicgroup68.
28
The “Poverty Premium”
Therearemanydisadvantagestohaving
verylittlemoney.Thisreportisnotthe
placetodetailthepoorhealth,education
andemploymentoutcomesofthepoorest
familiesnortheincreasingimportance
ofparentalwealthindetermininga
child’sfuture.Adisadvantagethatis
immediateandsurprisingisthesocalled
“PovertyPremium”73wheregoodsand
services–especiallyfinancialservices–
costthepoormore.Paydaylendersoften
chargehundredsoftimestheinterestof
ahighstreetbank.Peoplewithoutbank
accountspaymoreforutilitiesandcannot
accessthepricesthatwealthierpeople
can.Theestimatedadditionalcostofthe
“PovertyPremium”foratypicallow-
incomefamilyisaround£1,280peryear74.
Livingonmeagrebenefitsishardenough
withouttheseadditionaldisadvantages.
Themyththatitisaneasylifeon
benefitsfliesinthefaceofthestories
andthestatistics.Theallegationthat
manyare“choosingalifeonbenefits”
comeswithoutevidenceandwith
littlecredibility.Theassertionthatthe
verypooronout-of-workbenefitsare
advantagedovertheirneighboursin
lowpaidjobsisassociallydivisiveasitis
baseless.
‘If you don’t work, housing benefit will
let you live in a house that people in work
can’t afford’
“Howcanitbefairthattaxidrivers,nursesand
teacherscommutefromplacessuchasHornchurch,
HarrowandHillingdoneveryday,whileafamily
claiminghousingbenefitcanelecttoliveinahouse
[inWestminster]costingupto£104,000ayeartorent,
attaxpayers’expense?”69
Statement from the Leader of Westminster City Council on
Housing Benefit, 29 October 2010
Thefamilyclaiming£104,000inHousingBenefithas
receivedagreatdealofattentionfrompressand
politicians.ThiscasewasmentionedbytheChancellor
immediatelypriortoannouncingnewHousingBenefit
caps,yetthefamilyinquestionwasliterallyonein
amillion.Therearearoundfivemillionclaimants
ofHousingBenefit;approximatelyfivefamilieshad
receivedover£100,000peryearinHousingBenefit.70
TheaverageawardofHousingBenefitatthetimewas
approximately£85aweekandthemajorityoffamilies
receivedlessthan£4000ayear71.Only3%offamilies
receivedmorethan£10,000ayearsupport,and0.04%
receivedmorethan£30,000ayear.Theprominence
ofjustonefamilydisguisedthefactthatthoseon
benefitsgetsmallamountsofhelpwithhousingcosts
whichoftenhavetobetoppedupfromotherincome
tomeettherent.Italsoobscuredthefactthatfamilies
onbenefitsarenotablechooseanyhouse’atthe
taxpayers’expense‘andarerestrictedtoaffordingonly
theworsthousinginanarea.
Importantly,HousingBenefitisavailabletopeopleon
lowincomesirrespectiveoftheirworkingstatusand
therecentriseinHousingBenefitclaimantshasbeen
fuelledbyariseofworkingpeopleneedinghelpwith
theirrent72.Althoughtherearenocomprehensive
figuresavailableforwhoreceivesHousingBenefit,at
leastafifthofclaimantsareinwork,atleastafifthare
unemployedandatleastafiftharepensioners.The
highcostofhousingmeansawiderangeoffamilies
needhelppayingtheirrent.
29
Robertsays:“WhenIfirstgotkickedout,whenIwasonmyown,Iwassolonely.Isquattedforawhile
thenlivedinahosteland,throughthehostel,IcametoActionforChildren.Theyusedtogiveme
emergencyfoodpackages...I’mtryingtoprogressmyself,getqualificationstogetintowork.”
Roberthasapart-timejobatAldiandearnsaslittleas£440amonth.Hereceivesnobenefitsorfinancial
assistancebutputhimselfthroughcollegeworkingeveningandweekendshiftsafterdaytimelectures
andtraining.RobertsuccessfullygraduatedfromhisUniformedServicescourseandisnowfocusingonhis
future.
“I’vegotthequalificationandnowit’seasiertoworkmorehours.SoI’mmanagingabitbetterformoney.
It’snotcomfortable,butitmeansIcaneatbetter.I’mtryingtovolunteerwithYoungCarers:it’sreally
goodforthem,andit’sgoodformeaswell’cause,youknow,Igetagoodfeelingfromit.I’mgivingback
abitofwhatI’vebeengivenbyActionforChildren.
“Idon’tmeantosoundrude,butIdon’tneedpeoplesomuchanymore.Thepointofsupportistopush
you,togetyouintogearreally.I’mdoingwell,I’mindependent.”
Case study provided by Action for Children www.actionforchildren.org.uk
Myth 6: ‘They’ caused the deficit
“...whywegotintosuchproblem
indebtandthedeficitwasthatin
chasingthe[ChildPoverty]targetit
gotmoreandmoredifficultandmore
andmoremoneyhadtobespent.”
Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan
Smith, Today Programme, 14 June 2012
IainDuncanSmith’sclaimthatthe
country’sdeficitwascausedbya
desiretomeetthetargetforreducing
childpovertywouldbelaughable
ifitwasn’tsodeeprootedinour
mythsaboutpoverty.Thebeliefthat
thedeficitwascausedbecauseof
spendingonwelfare(andtherefore
thatwelfarespendingmustbe
reducedinordertoshrinkthedeficit)
isworryinglycommon.Toblamethe
poor,notonlyfortheirpovertybut
alsoforthenation’sausterity,isboth
unfairanduntrue.
20.0%
18.0%
16.0%
14.0%
12.0%
10.0%
8.0%
6.0%
4.0%
2.0%
0.0%
%ageofGDP
1979
-80
1981
-82
1983
-84
1985
-86
1987
-88
1989
-90
1991
-92
1993
-94
1995
-96
1997
-98
1999
-00
2001
-02
2003
-04
2005
-06
2007
-08
2009
-10
2011
-12
BenefitandTaxCreditSpending1979-2012
Contrarytothecommonmyth,theoverallcostof
welfarehasnotbeenspirallingoutofcontrolforyears.
Theproportionofnationalincomespentonwelfare
hasremainedsurprisinglyconstantoverthepasttwo
decades(Graph1).Itiscertainlytruethatspendinghas
increasedbothincashandinflationadjustedterms,
30
Thebankingcrisisof2007brought
hugeexpensetothepublicpurse.
Theresultingrecessionledtoarisein
unemploymentandoverallwelfarecosts,
butsomeotherlargecostsservedto
protectthosewhoaremoreadvantaged
membersofsociety.
• TheQuantitativeEasingprogramme
hasincreasedthepersonalwealth
oftheUK’srichestfifthoffamilies
byenoughtopayforJobseeker’s
Allowanceforoveracentury.76
• Thebankbailoutrequiredsufficient
governmentmoneytopayforJob
seeker’sAllowanceforover150years.
Itcouldalsopaythecostsofbenefit
fraudforamillennium.
Withoutjudgingthewisdomor
economicnecessityofthesehugecosts,
theydounderlinethefactthatblaming
thedeficitonthepoorestinsocietyis
simplyuntenable.Itisalsoclearthat
thefinancialdecisionswhichprotected
andinsomecasesenrichedthewealthy
membersofsocietyalsocameat
considerableeconomiccosttothenation
andthetaxpayer.
butthiscanalsobesaidforallthemajorgovernment
budgets(exceptforDefencewhichcontractedpost-Cold
War)(Graph2).Governmentspending,welfareincluded,
increasedbroadlyinlinewithnationalincomeuntilthe
bankingcrisisof2007.
Welfarespendingiscyclical,risingandfallingin
responsetoboomandbust,andtheproportionoftaxes
spentonwelfare(averagedoutovertheeconomiccycles
sincethe1980s)hasactuallystayedfairlyflat.Some
politiciansandnewspapershavegiventheimpression
thatWelfarespendinghasincreasedmassivelyby
comparingspendingfiguresfromthehighpointofthe
economiccyclewithfiguresfromthelowestpoint.Itis
alsocommontoexpresswelfarespendingrisesasmany
billionsofpoundswithoutgivinganycontextastohow
thisrisecomparestopreviousspendingortoother
governmentspending.Inthiswayweareencouragedto
believethatcaringforthemostvulnerablehascaused
ournation’sfinancialproblems.”
Thisdoesnotmeanthatitistherightlevelofspending.
Somewouldargueformoreandsomeforlessbutis
disingenuoustoarguethatspendingmustdecrease
becauseofpasttrends.Shouldweasanationdecide
topayasmallerproportionofourwealthinhelping
theelderly,thesick,thedisabled,theunemployedand
thoseonlowincomes,weshouldnotallowourselvesthe
comfortabledelusionthatwearemerelyreturningto
therecentpast.
ChangeinGovtSpending1993-2012
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
-10%
-20%
-30%%agechangeinrealterms
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Total Govt Spending (42.3%)
OldAgePensions(50.2%)
Education(46.1%)HealthCare(49.5%)
Defence(12.7%)
Welfare(34.9%)
31
AsChristianswearecalledtohaveadistinctiveandjoyfulpresenceintheworld.Ourcallingleadsusto
seekaftertruth,andthatmeansfacinguptoourownblindnessaswellasholdingotherstoaccount.
ThisreportisentitledThe Lies We Tell Ourselves: Ending Comfortable Myths About Poverty becauseit
isclearthatweareoftencomplicitinthemythsthatwehavebeenwillingtobelieveaboutpovertyin
Britaintoday.Thereporthasdemonstratedhowstatisticscanbemanipulatedtosupportastorythatis
comfortabletohear:thatthepoorareadistinctgroupofpeople,somehowdeservingoftheirpoverty,
andthereforedeservingofthedeprivationsandcutswhichtheyincreasinglyface.
Itwillalwaysbepossibletofindexamplesofindividualgoodorbadbehaviour,includingbypeopleliving
inpoverty.Itisalsopossibletousesuchastorytojustifyanopinion.However,weshouldnotattemptto
understandalargegroupofpeopleonthebasisofasinglestory.Weshouldlookattheevidenceand
testourprejudicesandouropinionsagainstit.Weshouldneverallowtheevidencetobebenttofitour
prejudices,andweshouldbeoutragedwhenothersdoitonourbehalf-evenifwefindtheprejudices
reassuring.
IfpovertyintheUKwerecausedbythefaultsandlazinessofthepoor,thenwemightfeelmore
comfortablewithit.Ourcharitableinstinctsmightpromptustoofferhelp,buttherewouldbenoinjustice
toberighted.
Butthetruthisthatpovertyisaninjusticecryingoutforcorrectionandcannotbeexplainedawayasthe
problemofindividualfamilies.Respondingwithcharitycanhelptobreakdownthebarriersinsocietyand
isapartialsolution,butweallhaveamoralresponsibilitytobuildamorejustandmoreunderstanding
society.AsChristianswebelievethattheinfinitelylovingcreator,sharedbyusall,demandsnolessofus.
Inresearchingthisreport,wefoundmanyofthefactsmadeusuncomfortable.Readingmuchofthe
presscoveragearoundpovertyandwelfarereformwasequallyuncomfortable.Wehopemanyreadersof
thisreportarealittlelesscomfortableattheendofitthantheywerewhentheybegan,andthatsome
prejudicesandassumptionshavebeenchallenged.Mostofallwehopereadersaremovedtoseekto
understandtherealityofpovertyasitisexperiencedinBritaintoday.
Ascitizenswehavetherightanddutytoexpectmorefromourpoliticiansandthemedia.Weexpect
themtoceaseperpetuatingmythswhich,althoughconvenientforthemselves,arenolongercredible.We
askthemtoenablerealleadershipandbewillingtosaythingsthatwemayallfinduncomfortable,even
unpalatable.
WeneedtodevelopanunderstandingofthedepthandbreadthofUKpovertythatiscompatiblewiththe
evidenceavailable.Justasimportantlyweneedtomatchthelanguageofpublicdebatewiththerealityof
people’slives.Itisataskwemustapproachwithhumilityonewhichputsthelivedexperienceofpoverty
atitsheart,andonewhichiscommittedtotruthfulness–nomatterhowuncomfortablewefindthose
truthstobe.Pleasejoinwithusinthischallenge.
Conclusion
32
References
1 InstituteofFiscalStudies,Livingstandards,povertyandinequalityintheUK:2012
2 www.number10.gov.uk/news/troubled-families-speech/,changesreflectacheckagainstdelivery.
3 CabinetOffice(2007)ReachingOut:ThinkFamily.
4 CabinetOffice(2007),FamiliesatRisk
5 DeptforEducationandSkills(2010),Familieswithmultipleproblems
6 DeptforCommunitiesandLocalGovt(2012),ListeningtoTroubledFamilies
7 DCLGcorrespondencetoNickBailey,UniofGlasgow(3October2012)
8 DeptofWorkandPensionsFreedomofInformationRequest2012-3222(2012).Theexactageofchildrenandthusbenefitstatusisunclear.
9 Thewords“andsometimeschildrape”havebeenaddedtothemajorityofpressreportsbutarenotincludedinthereport.Itisprobablethatthisselectedmis-quotewasincludedinpressbriefingmaterials.
10 Seewebsite
11 http://fullfact.org/articles/sun_daily_mail_pcc_120000_problem_families_correction-28602
12 DWP(2012)SocialJustice:TransformingLives
13 DailyStar,11June2012“ScumClansBlitz”
14 DailyMail,23January2012,“8outof10ClaimingBenefitsAREfittowork”.Currentonlineversionalteredinresponsetocomplaints
15 BMAPressrelease,28June2012“Scrapworkcapabilityassessment,doctorsdemand”
16 DWP(2011)RR745EmploymentandSupportAllowance:Findingsfromafollow-upsurveywithcustomers
17 WelfareReformAct(Section37)
18 NewStatesman,11June2011,“Thepoorestdeserveachangefromourbrokenbenefitssystem”
19 CabinetOffice(2010)“Stateofthenationreport:poverty,worklessnessandwelfaredependencyintheUK”
20 DWPInformationDirectorate:WorkandPensionsLongitudinalStudy;DataforclaimantsasofNovember2010
21 DWPAd-hocanalysis(2010)“Durationonoutofworkbenefits”
22 DepartmentofJustice/DWP(2011)“Offending,employmentandbenefits”
23 Seewebsite
24 HeraldScotland,2January2012,“Newpolicetacticcutscrime”
25 Seewebsite
26 “UnderthepreviousadministrationDameCarolBlack,whoadvisedtheGovernmentonreformsthatwouldleadtothecontroversialWorkCapabilityTest,alsorepeatedthisclaim.ShehassincebeenappointedasthefirstDirectorofHealthandWorkinarolesharedbetweentheDepartmentsofHeathandWorkandPensions.DailyMail,10March2010“”The‘terriblelegacy’ofthechildrengrowingupinfamilieswhohaven’tworkedforgenerations””“
27 IainDuncanSmithtoCenterforSocialJustice2009
28 ‘…therearefourgenerationsoffamilieswherenoonehaseverhadajob’(ChrisGrayling,MinisterforWorkandPensions,BBC‘Newsnight’,15February2011)
29 DeptofWorkandPensionsFreedomofInformationRequest2012-2430
30 JosephRowntreeFoundation(2012)“Are‘culturesofworklessness’passeddownthegenerations?”Othersonwebsite.
31 DailyMail,10March2010“The‘terriblelegacy’ofthechildrengrowingupinfamilieswhohaven’tworkedforgenerations”
32 JosephRowntreeFoundation(2012)“Are‘culturesofworklessness’passeddownthegenerations?”Othersonwebsite.
33 OECD(2010)“AFamilyAffair:IntergenerationalSocialMobilityacrossOECDCountries”.OECDmembershipisusedasaproxyfor‘developednation’.
34 YouGov/TUCSurveyResults,December2012
35 DWP(2012)SocialJustice:TransformingLives
36 BritishSocialAttitudesSurvey2012.
37 ChurchUrbanFund(2012)BiastothePoor?
38 DWPAd-hocanalysis(July2012)“LocalAuthorityBreakdown:IncapacityBenefitsandDisabilityLivingAllowanceclaimantswithmainconditionofalcoholordrugabuse”
39 NHS(2009)“AdultPsychiatricMorbidityinEngland-2007”
40 NHS(2009)“AdultPsychiatricMorbidityinEngland-2007”
41 JosephRowntreeFoundation(2009)“Understandingattitudestotacklingeconomicinequality”
42 SavetheChildren(2012)“ChildPovertyin2012:Itshouldn’thappenhere”
43 Oxfam(2012)“ThePerfectStorm:Economicstagnation,therisingcostofliving,publicspendingcuts,andtheimpactonUKpoverty”
Forweblinksandfurtherinformationgotowww.publicissues.org.uk/truthandliesaboutpoverty
33
44 NHS(2012)”StatisticsonAlcohol:England,2012”Tables2.9-2.12
45 DailyMail16October2010“Disabilitycheckstoforce400,000backtowork”,DailyMail,3February2012“SkyTV,SpecialBrew,Superkings...thosebenefitcutsinfull”,BBCNewsMagazine26November2012“Beveridgereport:From‘deservingpoor’to‘scroungers’?”
46 SavetheChildren(2008)“WhyMoneyMatters”
47 BritishSocialAttitudesSurvey
48 HMRC(2012)“MeasuringTaxGaps2012”,TheTaxGap£33bncontainsmanysub-divisionstherangeoffiguresvariesasitisamatterofjudgementifsomecategoriesare“fraud”.
49 GeorgeOsborne,20October2010,AnnouncingComprehensiveSpendingReview
50 HMRC/DWP(2010)“TacklingFraudanderrorintheWelfareSystem”(onlineversionnowcorrected)
51 DailyTelegraph,30December2012,“Britainhitby£10bntaxcreditfraudsters,claimsDuncanSmith”
52 DailyTelegraph,31December2012,“Numberofforeignersclaimingtaxcredits‘unknown’,ministersadmit”
53 HouseofCommonsLibrarypaperSN/SG/2656,“Socialsecuritybenefitsandexpenditure”January2013
54 HMRC(2012)“MeasuringTaxGaps2012”,TheTaxGap£33bncontainsmanysub-divisionstherangeoffiguresvariesasitisamatterofjudgementifsomecategoriesare“fraud”.
55 Turn2Us(2012)“BenefitsStigmainBritain.”
56 ChurchActiononPovery(2013)“TheBlameGameMustStop.”
57 HouseofCommonswrittenanswers,Hansard5April2011:Column748Wand7March2011:Column858Wwww.parliamentonline.co.uk/hansard/hocw/110307w0005.htm
58 DWP(2012)“IncomeRelatedBenefits:EstimatesofTake-Up”&ThirdForceNews,13October2011,“Publicurgedtograbholdof£19bnofunclaimedbenefits”
59 DailyTelegraph,10September2010,“Welfare:the‘lifestylechoice’thatBritonsmustmake”&GeorgeOsborne(2010)BBCNickRobinsonblog“Harshrealityofspendingcuts”includesrecording.
60 Forexamplehttp://wearespartacus.org.uk/spartacus-report/,http://z2k.org/,andmanyotherlocalcharitiesandcommunityorganisations.
61 BBCNewsnightBlog4September2012“ThegrowingdemandforfoodbanksinbreadlineBritain.”
62 “SpartacusReport”(2012)
63 Turn2Us(2012)“BenefitsStigmainBritain.”
64 YouGov/TUCSurveyResults,December2012
65 HouseofCommonsResearchPaperRP13-1,“WelfareBenefitsUpratingBill”January2013
66 Oxfam(2012)“ThePerfectStorm:Economicstagnation,therisingcostofliving,publicspendingcuts,andtheimpactonUKpoverty”
67 DWPFreedomofInformationRequest2012-3222(2012)
68 SectionDrawsonSavetheChildren(2012)“Challenging12MythsandStereotypesaboutLow-IncomeFamiliesandSocialSecuritySpending”
69 “WestminsterCouncilPressRelease,29October2010“”StatementfromtheLeaderofWestminsterCityCouncilonhousingbenefit”“
70 DWPFreedomofInformationRequest2012-4057(2012)Theresponsegivesthenumberoffamiliesas5(+/-10)householdsreceivingover£100.000HousingBenefitannually
71 DWPFreedomofInformationRequest2012-4057(2012)FiguresforAugust2010.
72 NationalHousingFederation(2012)“HomeTruths2012:England”.
73 SavetheChildren(2007)“ThePovertyPremium:Howpoorhouseholdspaymoreforessentialgoodsandservices”.
74 SavetheChildren(2011)“TheUKPovertyRip-Off:ThePovertyPremium2010”.
75 BankofEngland(2012)“Thedistributionaleffectsofassetpurchases”&AdamSmithInstitute(2012)“What’sWrongwithourEconomy?”,Wealthiestdefinedastopquintile.
76 ChartDataavailablefordownloadonwebsite:Sourcesofdata:JRF(2012)MonitoringPovertyandSocialExclusion,IFS(2012)ASurveyoftheUKBenefitSystem.
77 DWPbenefitexpendituretables.From1999/00figuresincludeHMRCexpenditureontaxcredits,from2003/3HMRCspendingonchildbenefit.From2003/4totalsfromHouseofCommonslibrarybriefingpaperSN/SG/2656.
78 ChartDataavailablefordownloadonwebsite:PESATreasuryspendingdatacollatedbywww.ukpublicspending.org.uk,labelledusingPESAspendingdefinitions.Biblepassage,page8andbackcover
NewRevisedStandardVersionBible,©1989,DivisionofChristianEducationoftheNationalCounciloftheChurchesofChristintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.Usedbypermission.Allrightsreserved.
This report was originally published under the title The Lies we Tell Ourselves: ending comfortable myths about poverty in March 2013 by the Joint Public Issues Team: Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed Churches working together on behalf of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church, the Church of Scotland and the United Reformed Church. © Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes 2013.
Producedwiththanksto:ActionforChildren,TheChildren’sSociety,ChurchActiononPoverty,theAnti-BedroomTaxCampaign,PhilipBeeandtheChurchesRegionalCommissionforYorkshireandtheHumber,andTimStacey.Thanksshouldnotimplyendorsementofthefulltext.
For further information on the original report: www.jointpublicissues.org.uk/truthandliesaboutpovertywww.churchofscotland.org.uk
This edition, reillustrated and with a new Preface, published by the Representative Body of Church in Wales and Oxfam Cymru under the title Truth and Lies about Poverty: ending comfortable myths about poverty, in November 2013 in both English and Welsh editions. This edition © Oxfam GB 2013 English edition ISBN: 978-1-78077-521-0 Welsh edition ISBN: 978-1-78077-522-7
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To find out more about Oxfam’s work in Wales, visit www.oxfam.org.uk/cymru, follow us on Twitter or Facebook, or contact us by phone on 0300 200 1269, or by email on [email protected]
To find out more about the Church in Wales, visit www.churchinwales.org.uk or follow us on Twitter @ChurchinWales and @CinWSociety
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For online access to this report in full, in English or in Welsh, go to www.oxfam.org.uk/truthandlies or www.churchinwales.org.uk/life
“Justice is turned back,
and righteousness stands at a distance;
for truth stumbles in the public square,
and uprightness cannot enter.”
Isaiah 59:14 (NRSV)
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