Poverty+in+the+UK

=Poverty in the uk is a widely unknown problem as alot of the media spotlight is shifted onto countries abroad.= Some facts on poverty in the uk: 1 in 5 people in the uk don’t have enough money to live on. Poor communities have poorer health, and have shorter life expectancy. this is down to poor housing and nutrition. Nearly 13 million people live in poverty in the UK, that means that 1 in 5 of population live in poverty. 3.8 million children in the UK are living in poverty. 2.2 million pensioners in the UK are living in poverty. 7.2 million working age adults in the UK are living in poverty. Women are the majority in the poorest groups. London has a higher proportion of people living in poverty than any other region in the UK. The UK has one of the highest percentages of the population that lives in pverty in the EU. The meaning of poverty (taken from the oxfam gb website http://www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/ukpoverty/morepovertyfacts.html) Poverty means not having enough money to pay for the things you need. From Oxfam’s experience of working with people living in poverty we know that this may involve families and individuals not having enough to eat, being unable to heat their homes, not having adequate warm clothing, and not having enough money to cope with unforeseen events, such as the need to repair a broken washing machince. The 2004/5 //Family Resources Survey//, published by the Department for Work and Pension, reports that: 60% of people on low incomes say they are unable to make savings of £10 a month;10% cannot afford two pairs of all-weather shoes for each adult in the family; 30% cannot afford household contents insurance; and nearly 30% are unable to have friends or family round for a meal once a month.