[News] Food Poverty figures in Worthing

[Thunder Bolt]

Fair enough. I suppose what we need is a Labour government that can build a Brighton-sized city in a solid Tory area where they don't care how many votes they lose.

We don't have anything like the same house price problem up here. Fortunately.

I know. I left the south when I got married, because we couldn’t afford a house down here. I moved up north, stayed there for 33 years, and then managed to return due to other circumstances.

 

[stewart12]

I wonder if the reason as to why very little is done about the "housing crisis" is that it's simply not a nationwide issue?

Think in the South East we are guilty of believing it is, but once you're out of the London commuting radius housing just isn't anywhere near as big as issue

perhaps in a post-Covid world where employers are pushing for more working from home the balance will change slightly as the South East will become less appealing

 

[Thunder Bolt]

In other news, the prime minister who earns £150K a year, gets donors to pay for his holidays, and wallpaper, who says he can’t afford to pay a nanny, has said the £20 Covid uplift on Universal Credit is to be removed, He says people will have to put in ‘more effort’.

My contempt and disdain for this government has reached rock bottom.

Anyone want to tell the people having cancer treatment, or those who are just getting through financially, but found their bills going up, that they just need to put in more effort!

 

[The Clamp]

Most people I know who are renting, so much of our income goes on rent, it’s nigh on impossible to save for a future. The only reason I’m not using food banks is because of the overtime I do. And that’s not at enhanced rate. It’s been a long time since I saw an Investor In People placard in anyone’s reception.
It must be a deflating experience for a nurse to have to use a foodbank. Any government, from any side, should be devastated to see such scenes. They barely seem to notice.
As an aside, none of the vulnerable people I work with have iPhones, they all use ten quid ones. Nor do they wear nice clothes or spend all day in pubs. Smoking seems to be a common vice, but a lot of them pick dog-ends up off the pavement.

 

[beorhthelm]

Your point is a bit unclear. Those property interests are lobbying to build more houses. This would constrain property prices…You can’t complain about insufficient house building then oppose developer attempts to do just that.

its a bizarre insinuation isnt it?

 

[beorhthelm]

there's pretty much nowhere to build in Brighton

all the more painful where there are sites, that they are resisted.

 

[The Merry Prankster]

Ah, the deserving and undeserving poor argument. Surprised it took that long.

As someone who has had their eyes opened by running a foodbank for the last 18 months It's gratifying to see that there are only a couple of the widescreen tv/booze and fags/undeserving people on this thread. If your response to a thread about the scale of food poverty is to immediately claim that some people are likely to scam the system and that negates the whole problem then you need to give your head the proverbial. I wrote somethings about this if anyone is interested

https://www.cost-ofliving.net/its-time-to-trust-hungry-people/

https://www.cost-ofliving.net/food-first-a-new-approach-to-food-trauma/

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

I wonder if the reason as to why very little is done about the "housing crisis" is that it's simply not a nationwide issue?

Think in the South East we are guilty of believing it is, but once you're out of the London commuting radius housing just isn't anywhere near as big as issue

perhaps in a post-Covid world where employers are pushing for more working from home the balance will change slightly as the South East will become less appealing

Indeed. There is no crisis outside the London and South East bubble. As an example you can buy a two bedroom terrace with a garden for a lot less than a hundred grand not too far from where I live. Our house would be unaffordable if it were located in London. You are also correct that post Covid working from home is attracting people from down South as is relocation of businesses.

 

[Randy McNob]

Your point is a bit unclear. Those property interests are lobbying to build more houses. This would constrain property prices…You can’t complain about insufficient house building then oppose developer attempts to do just that.

Sorry that was slightly misleading, The Tories are politically influenced to serve the interests of parasitic landlords and keep high rents and renters in a poverty trap

All explained here

 

[The Clamp]

I know. I left the south when I got married, because we couldn’t afford a house down here. I moved up north, stayed there for 33 years, and then managed to return due to other circumstances.

Apart form housing costs, was it less expensive all round up North did you find?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Apart form housing costs, was it less expensive all round up North did you find?

Rates, as they were then, yes much cheaper. Utilities were pretty much the same. Fuel was cheaper.

 

[stewart12]

Apart form housing costs, was it less expensive all round up North did you find?

my mum lives up north. General food shopping etc isn't any cheaper I don't think. Public transport is pretty much the same price as Brighton and nowhere near as good. Eating and drinking out is definitely cheaper

but her housing costs are SO much lower. That really is the main difference when you're talking about hundreds of pounds a month less than what you'd be paying down here. She's fortunate in that her salary is about the same as what she'd get down here also. She's in a large city, if she was to move out to a nearby town or village it would be even less

 

[The Clamp]

Rates, as they were then, yes much cheaper. Utilities were pretty much the same. Fuel was cheaper.

Cheers, currently looking at options in the U.K. and abroad, my current wage/cost of living balance is unsustainable.

 

[The Clamp]

my mum lives up north. General food shopping etc isn't any cheaper I don't think. Public transport is pretty much the same price as Brighton and nowhere near as good. Eating and drinking out is definitely cheaper

but her housing costs are SO much lower. That really is the main difference when you're talking about hundreds of pounds a month less than what you'd be paying down here. She's fortunate in that her salary is about the same as what she'd get down here also. She's in a large city, if she was to move out to a nearby town or village it would be even less

Interesting, thanks.

 

[1066familyman]

Water companies cannot legally stop your supply of water, it isn't because they are sympathetic. Key Meters charge more per unit than a Direct Debit customer would pay, it is just a prepayment way for the company to ensure they don't lose cash by allowing a customer to build up a debt, it is for their benefit and is to the customers detriment, as their electricity is more expensive.

However there are grants and assistance provisions from many of the energy companies if you beg for it.

Another common theme.

The poorer you are, the more you pay for essential services, and most other things too. It really is a vicious circle in many ways.

And those hoops you have to jump through for assistance are often not made immediately apparent to those in need.

 

[1066familyman]

I expect a significant part of the growth strategy is based on growing online sales, both in the UK and across Europe. The fulfillment centres are staffed by agency workers on zero hours contracts earning minimum wage, so yes I expect they will be instrumental in achieving this target. Alongside sales expansion, the other parts of the strategy will most likely be identifying operational efficiencies (ie staff terms and conditions) plus achieving lower cost product sourcing. And we all know what the current pay and conditions of people making sports gear for the major brands is like.

So to double the share price in 4 years I expect he will be looking to grow online sales, reduce operational costs and buy stuff cheaper. Trebles all round for the shareholders but perhaps not so great for the workforce both in the business and the supply chain, unless of course they will all be sharing in the bonus scheme - but I don't know about that as the article didn't mention it.

I expect the article already assumed we all know Mike Ashley is no Julian Richer.

 

[1066familyman]

....Due to the rise in house prices its put owning a home out of reach for the vast majority because they have to pay obscene rents and cannot afford to save.
What puzzles me is if someone can afford to pay 1000+ in rent and can give proof of payments over a period of time is why can they not get a mortgage. Seems odd

Exactly this!

Housing benefit is a massive bill to the tax payer. Some people like to think those in receipt of benefits are work shy loafers. The reality is, the working poor outnumber the 'idle' poor.

All that huge amount of housing benefit money is going into making some people already comfortably off, better off. Often topping up their pension very nicely thank you.

Imagine if Government could start diverting some of that housing benefit money into guaranteeing mortgage deposits for those that are working and have been proven not to default on their share of huge rents.

Of course, any such scheme wouldn't necessarily help those right at the bottom, but it would help many who are willing and able to help themselves to at least get off the benefit bill for starters. That's got to be a win/win all round, surely? Except for the landlords and landladies of course, who would see their 'investment' drop when demand starts to come down for rented accommodation.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Exactly this!

Housing benefit is a massive bill to the tax payer. Some people like to think those in receipt of benefits are work shy loafers. The reality is, the working poor outnumber the 'idle' poor.

All that huge amount of housing benefit money is going into making some people already comfortably off, better off. Often topping up their pension very nicely thank you.

Imagine if Government could start diverting some of that housing benefit money into guaranteeing mortgage deposits for those that are working and have been proven not to default on their share of huge rents.

Of course, any such scheme wouldn't necessarily help those right at the bottom, but it would help many who are willing and able to help themselves to at least get off the benefit bill for starters. That's got to be a win/win all round, surely? Except for the landlords and landladies of course, who would see their 'investment' drop when demand starts to come down for rented accommodation.

I agree with the sentiment but any such policy creates further housing demand and up go prices again. The ‘evil Tories’ then get accused once more of driving up property prices for the benefit of their wealthy property owning friends. The vicious circle. In Europe, by contrast, renting is much more common and accepted. Perhaps the best way to tackle unaffordable rents is rent controls or high taxation on owning more than two properties ?

 

[1066familyman]

I agree with the sentiment but any such policy creates further housing demand and up go prices again. The ‘evil Tories’ then get accused once more of driving up property prices for the benefit of their wealthy property owning friends. The vicious circle. In Europe, by contrast, renting is much more common and accepted.

Well then the answer is rent caps. I'd take that.

 

[beorhthelm]

Imagine if Government could start diverting some of that housing benefit money into guaranteeing mortgage deposits for those that are working and have been proven not to default on their share of huge rents.

honestly a noble idea. they tried that in US in the 90's-00's... we didnt like the consequences.