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

Thispublicationiscopyrightbutthetextmaybeusedfreeofchargeforthepurposesofadvocacy,campaigning,education,andresearch,providedthatthesourceisacknowledgedinfull.Thecopyrightholderrequeststhatallsuchuseberegisteredwiththemforimpactassessmentpurposes.Forcopyinginanyothercircumstances,orforre-useinotherpublications,orfortranslationoradaptation,permissionmustbesecuredandafeemaybecharged.E-mailpolicyandpractice@oxfam.org.uk

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 oxfamcymru@oxfam.org.uk

To find out more about the Church in Wales, visit www.churchinwales.org.uk or follow us on Twitter @ChurchinWales and @CinWSociety

TheRepresentativeBodyoftheChurchinWalesisaregisteredcharityno.1142813.OxfamCymruisaregisteredcharityno.202918.

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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