Forum Brief: Tackling poverty

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published a report on the long-term prospects for tackling UK poverty and disadvantage in the twenty-first century.

Forum Response: Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Donald Hirsch, special adviser to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and co-author of the report, said: "Making sure the poorest groups share in the nation's growing prosperity ought to be at the heart of a 21st century strategy for tackling the damaging and avoidable consequences of poverty and disadvantage.

"We can seize the opportunity to reverse the negative trends of the past 20 years by aiming to divert a disproportionate share of future growth to the least advantaged. It would be unrealistic to expect progress every year - in good times and bad - but with cycle on cycle reductions severe relative poverty could be largely conquered over time."

Lord Best, director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: "The damage caused by widespread poverty and disadvantage is not only experienced by those directly affected, but by society as a whole: not least, the economic costs of having a large minority of the population who are unable to achieve their full potential and require expensive support.

"One hundred years ago Joseph Rowntree set us the task of seeking out the underlying causes of poverty and other social evils so they can be tackled at their roots. We continue our search in a new century and we hope this latest JRF discussion document will make a significant contribution to thinking as we prepare for our centenary conference next year."

Forum Response: Guide Dogs for the Blind Association

Robin Hutchinson, head of communications at Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, told ePolitix.com: "It should be the ambition of any civilised society to ensure that the disadvantaged are enabled and the growing gap between rich and poor in Britain makes this a pressing need.

"Socially inclusive ideas and policies can do so much but whilst there is such a financial gap between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' the bridges to personal achievement are few and far between.

"The employment prejudice and disadvantage that blindness and partial sight brings to many of our supporters and service users means that unless a sustained and serious effort is made to level the playing field many will still trip up before they reach the pitch."

Forum Response: Barnardo's

Neera Sharma, principal policy officer at Barnardo's, told ePolitix.com: "Barnardo's would agree with the argument set out by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. It is both desirable and possible to ensure that no one lives below 60 per cent of median income in 20 years.

"However, as well as distribution and extra investment the government needs to set out a long-term strategy for the abolition of poverty. Its present work-focused approach will only succeed in taking the least poorest families out of poverty.

"There are many families for whom work is not an option, such as parents caring for disabled children. For those families dependent on benefits or on low pay, it is important that the government sets a minimum income for families which ensures that need live below the poverty line."

Forum Response: Counsel and Care

Martin Green, chief executive of Counsel and Care, told ePolitix.com: "I think this is a highly desirable objective but it won't be achieved with the current policies of the government.

"Particularly in relation to older people, there needs to be greater planning in the pension cycle of between 50 and 100 years, rather than the five and ten which currently exists."

Forum Response: Countryside Alliance

Richard Burge, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, told ePolitix.com: "It is admirable that the grassroot causes of poverty are being addressed by JFR with a view to ensuring no-one in Britain should be living in grinding poverty in the 21st century. Admirable, but optimistic. Thinking that we can improve everyone's quality of life within 20 years, especially in the countryside, is an unrealistic aim.

"Rural people are suffering from a lack of jobs, transport, education, health-care and law-enforcement, to name but a few difficulties and none of these problems can be solved overnight. The main problem rural Britain faces, however, is its government, which is unwilling to listen to it and even less willing to help.

"If half a million members of any other minority marched on London, as rural people did last September, they would have been listened to and provided for. Not so rural people.

"Of course, it is not all doom and gloom - people who live in the countryside are optimistic by nature and are working hard to improve their lot, but without government help and understanding, those living in rural poverty will not be expecting their lot to change any time soon."

Forum Response: ESRC

A spokesman for the ESRC told ePolitix.com: ""Ensuring that no one will live in a household below 60 per cent of median income level is certainly desirable and realistic in the sense that it could be achieved, or very nearly so, given the political will and popular support. Whether it is realistic to think it will be achieved is another question.

"It is certainly feasible to have far lower poverty rates: many other countries manage this and Britain has had far lower poverty rates in the past. The government has set itself the target of abolishing child poverty in a generation, not all poverty. This seems a sensible priority and they have made a creditable start. But achieving it will require further redistribution to families with children.

"There is a common and quite erroneous view that because poverty is defined relatively, for example as being below 60 per cent of median income, it can never be ended. Of course there will always be people below the median income, just as there are people below average height. But there are very few adults below half average height. All that a relative poverty standard does is move the standard up as general income levels rise; the alternative with a fixed poverty standard is that those living at the poverty level fall further and further behind the average."