1m more people living in poverty in UK as scale of crisis laid bare

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In a situation described as “social failure at scale”, 6 million are living in very deep poverty – defined as being below 40 per cent of the median income after housing costs. Frontline staff warned that rising poverty was keeping children out of school The Independent can also report that: Six million of the poorest people in the UK would need to double their incomes to escape poverty Almost two-thirds of adults in poverty live in working households – a rise from 61 per cent the previous year More than one in five people in the UK – and three in 10 children – were living in poverty in 2021-22, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation estimates More than 2 million people will have their gas and electricity cut off this winter because they cannot afford to top up their prepayment meter Being in poverty is defined by the JRF as having an income, after housing costs, of less than 60 per cent of the average income for your personal familial set-up. Another said: “Children are often going to school hungry and it is uncertain whether they will get a warm meal every day as some are not even entitled to free school meals due to parents income.” Another family support worker said: “Where a parent would be able to get a bus to take their child to school, now has to decide whether to keep the child off school to get milk and bread with the money that would have been spent on bus fares.” Another said the houses they were visiting on their home visits were always cold as the parents couldn’t afford heating, and their children – especially babies – were getting chest infections. A government spokesperson said: “We are continuing to support families with the cost of living backed by over £100bn – and there are 1.7 million fewer people living in absolute poverty in the UK, including 400,000 children, compared to 2010.