Hungry children in Stoke-on-Trent have been rummaging through bins looking for something to eat.
Hungry children in Stoke-on-Trent have been rummaging through bins looking for something to eat, leading to experts being called in by the council to assess the problem.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council is reportedly setting up a Hardship Commission to get to grips with the issues facing the poorest people in the region after a local paper reported that local children were “scavenging through bins to eat leftovers”:
“Youngsters have been searching through bins in the Hollings Street and Brocksford Street area of Fenton before eating any leftovers…Concerned residents have raised the issue at a police meeting in Fenton.”
A commission has now been set up by the council to look at account evidence from individuals who have been affected by poverty and hardship.
The commission is being urged to look at payday loan companies and calls for more employers to pay the Living Wage to the city’s lowest-paid workers, according to the Sentinel.
Local MP Rob Flello has blamed the disturbing development on coalition cuts:
“The demand for help from foodbanks is increasing and I suspect the numbers are just the tip of the iceberg because they don’t include people who are too embarrassed to seek help or those who are surviving in other ways. But while foodbanks are doing a great job meeting desperate need, they cannot be seen as a long-term solution to food poverty.”
The revelations come at a time when it has been revealed that the top 20 per cent of households in Britain increased their disposable incomes last year. This at a time when most incomes fell.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for 2011/12 to 2012/13 show that the Gini for disposable household income is now 33.2 for 2012/13 – up from 32.3 in 2011/12.
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26 Responses to “Coalition Britain: hungry children eating out of bins”
robertcp
It is clear that the UK’s welfare system is not generous enough, so we should not have any more nonsense about welfare reform from Progress etc.
swatnan
This is unbelievable. There is no absolute poverty in Britain, only relative poverty.
Supermarkets are throwing masses of perfectly edible food away; its a disgrace, when it could be given to those in need. The Govt needs to step in and do something about tackling the Food Industry.
Absolute poverty exists in the 3rd World, not here in Britain, so LFF should not be trying to create a crisis when there isn’t one.
rat man
Is this a joke article?
Anecdotal evidence, no no, couldnt possibly be bad parents, must be the coalition.
treborc1
That god only Poverty not absolute poverty, people have heating and water to drink so poverty is just poverty, Tesco should be giving food away for free, yet that’s going to happen.
Government needs to do more then llok at the food industry it need to sort out poverty and low benefits low wages, I know send them a book on how The Germans ended poverty.
treborc1
My total benefits dropped from £145 a week in total to £96 in total, I do not get free gas or electric or a free car. I find it almost impossible the reason my benefits dropped labour’s idea that only people who have worked all their lives should get the highest benefits so if your going to have an accident have it the year before you retire.