There has been a lot of discussion in the UK recently about the ‘cost of living crisis’, as prices continue to go up but wages and benefits rise more slowly. Certainly many are really feeling the pinch.
Since the start of the year, it has been reported that:
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- six million people would need to more than double their income to escape poverty
- over two million retired people are living in ‘severe hardship’, with another million just above the poverty line
- poverty is driving many teenagers towards predatory gangs and drug-dealing
- rough sleeping in London is at its highest level in a decade
All quite appalling, and all completely unnecessary, given the productive potential of society.