SLASHING THE BENEFITS BILL
HOW FEWER AND FEWER PEOPLE RECEIVE MONEY FROM THE STATE
A LMOST half of all families are going without any financial support from the government - the highest proportion on record.
New data from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) shows that some 45 per cent of people in the UK went without state support in 2016/17.
It is a figure that has risen almost every year since the coalition government came into power in 2010. In that fiscal year (2010/11), only 38 per cent of the population went without benefits or tax credits. The figure remained the same in 2011/12, but crept to 40 per cent in 2012/13. In 2013/14 it was up to 43 per cent, and rose to 44 per cent the following year at which point the Conservatives had a ruling majority. While Gordon Brown was Prime Minister for the Labour Party between 2007 and 2010, data is only available for as far back as 2008/09.
That year, 39 per cent went without state support, falling to 38 per cent in 2009/10.
State support includes pensions, disability allowances, and child benefits - among other things which contribute to a household’s total income.
While 45 per cent of households go without state support, more than a million receive at least £20,000 a year in government help.
There are 800,000 households receiving between £20,000 to £25,000 of state support, and 300,000 who get more than £25,000.
Those combined 1.1 million people account for just three per cent of UK households, however.
The data also reveals that more than half of the 55 per cent of people who do get state support receive less than £10,000 a year.
The current government has cut state support to try and lower the deficit, but experts warn it means people are missing out on much-needed help. A DWP spokesperson said: “Supporting people into work is the best way we can help them become financially secure and independent. Our employment rate and people’s incomes have never been higher, and it’s no coincidence that since 2010 a million people have been lifted out of absolute poverty. “We’re committed to providing support for those who need it, and spend around £90billion a year on working-age welfare.”