Energy price hike to ‘devastate the poor’
BBC bosses have pledged to “continue to make a strong case to the Government for investing” in the corporation after the licence fee came under fire.
In a message sent to staff, directorgeneral Tim Davie and chairman Richard Sharp said they “welcomed” debate and “look forward to engaging in a discussion about public service broadcasting in the UK and how best to fund it”.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said at the weekend the next announcement about the BBC licence fee “will be the
THE poorest adults could be forced to spend more than half of their income after housing on rising energy bills which could “devastate” the poorest families, analysis suggests.
Low-income families could spend on average 18% of their income after housing costs on energy bills after April, according to analysis from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF).
This rises to 54% for single adult households, and around a quarter for single parents and couples without children.
In comparison, middle-income households are expected to spend on average 6% of their incomes on energy bills, the analysis shows.
The analysis is based on the assumption that the energy price cap will rise by just under 50% from April.
The Government said it would continue to “look closely” at what further measures may be needed to help with high energy costs.
The JRF released the figures alongside its annual UK Poverty report, which it said shows a “worrying increase” in the number of children living in the deepest poverty. last”, saying she wants to find a new funding model for the broadcaster after the current licence fee funding deal expires in 2027.
In their internal message, Mr Davie and Mr Sharp reminded staff the licence fee is “fixed” until the end of 2027 but said what happens after that “is a matter for public discussion and debate”.
They continued: “At the moment the discussions about the future level of the licence fee for the rest of this Charter period are still ongoing, although we do
Some 31% of children were living in poverty in 2019-20, rising to nearly half of children in single-parent families.
Around 1.8 million children were growing up in very deep poverty - in households with 40% or less than the average income.
This is an increase of half a million children since 2011-12.
A fifth of children were living in households with a low income for at least three of the four years between 2016-2019, rising to around one in three children in single parent families.
The child poverty rate for children in families with three or more children was almost expect them to conclude very soon.
“We will continue to make a strong case to the Government for investing in the BBC. There are very good reasons for investing in what the BBC can do for the British public, the UK creative industries, and the place of the UK in the world.
“This is the case that we’ll continue to make to the Government right until the last moment.”
However, the pair said “it is for the Government to set the licence fee at the level that they believe is appropriate”. twice as high as the rate for children in oneor two-child families (47% versus 24%).
The JRF said there seems “little prospect” of reversing the recent rising child poverty trends, and also rising pensioner poverty.
Overall, 22% of people in the UK were living in poverty in 2019-20 - 14.5 million people.
Of these, 8.1 million were working-age adults, 4.3 million were children and 2.1 million were pensioners.
More than a million households (containing 2.4 million people) experienced destitution in 2019 - up 35% in two years. This is the most severe form of poverty.
Katie Schmuecker, JRF deputy director of policy and partnerships, said: “No childhood should be defined by a daily struggle to afford the basics. But the reality is that many children growing up today won’t have known anything else.
“The fact that more children are in poverty and sinking deeper into poverty should shame us all.
“Rising energy prices will affect us all, but our analysis shows they have the potential to devastate the budgets of families on the lowest incomes.”