Many are ‘locked in daily struggle to make ends meet’

GROWING numbers of Welsh families are at risk of being trapped in poverty, a major report warns today.

Research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows that Wales has a higher rate of poverty than England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

It fears that efforts to reduce poverty – which had delivered “great strides – are now “unravelling”.

A key concern is that the Welsh labour market is not delivering “enough jobs which offer pay and hours that will take people out of poverty”.

There is a gap of around 15 years in healthy life expectancy among those who live in the most deprived parts of Wales compared to those in the least deprived parts of the nation.

There is also concern about the impact of poverty on family life. There is a higher share of households with children where the parents have separated in Wales (37%) than in England (29%), Scotland (30%) or Northern Ireland (30%).

Nearly one in four people (23%) in Wales lives in poverty – and it is on the rise among pensioners, single people and couples with children. There is concern that progress on child poverty has “stalled”.

Wales has a population of around 3.1 million but 710,000 people are understood to be in poverty. This number includes 185,000 children, 405,000 working-age adults and 120,000 pensioners. Nearly four out of 10 (39%) of disabled people are in poverty – the highest in the UK – compared to 22% of those without disabilities.

The think tank acknowledges that in the last 20 years Wales has “achieved real success reducing worklessness, increasing employment and radically improving adult skills”. But it warns that “thousands of people are locked out from this economic success”.

Today’s report warns that “children receiving free school meals are substantially less likely to gain five or more good GCSEs than those who do not, meaning that they are much less likely to be able to gain higher qualifications and get a job which will enable them to avoid poverty as adults”.

Another warning sign is that “the majority of those in the poorest fifth in Wales are not building up a pension, increasing their risk of future poverty”. This compares with 72% of those in the richest fifth of the Welsh who have a pension.

Victoria Winckler, director of the Bevan Foundation, said: “This report shows that too many households in Wales are really struggling to make ends meet.

“The Welsh Government have made a very welcome commitment to ‘prosperity for all,’ so we hope that they will take steps to make it a reality for the 700,000 people in poverty today.”

Campbell Robb of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said: “Low-paid, unstable jobs, rising living costs and insufficient benefits mean that many people in Wales are locked in a daily struggle to make ends meet.

“We urge politicians in Cardiff Bay and Westminster to work with businesses to redesign the job and housing markets so they work better for those people living in the most deprived areas of Wales.”

Conservative Shadow Economy Secretary Russell George said: “After 19 years of devolution Welsh workers continue to endure the lowest take-home pay in Britain.

“We need to see action from the Welsh Labour Government to drive up standards and create quality jobs, but it’s difficult to have any faith after two decades and four major economic relaunches produced the such bleak results.”

Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood pressed for more powers for the Assembly, saying: “These figures vindicate Plaid Cymru’s case for giving our nation more control over its economy and show that Westminster doesn’t work for Wales.”