Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Spring Budget was just another missed opportunity for the government to address the spiralling cost of living and add momentum and commitment to the Levelling Up agenda.
Yes, the gut-wrenching rise in energy bills has produced a palpable sense of anxiety for millions, and petrol and diesel prices approaching £2 per litre means the commute to work has now become a dangerous drag on household incomes. However, as is always the case in times of squeezed incomes, it’s the most vulnerable and those in, or at the edge of poverty who are the hardest hit.
The most worrying trend in the escalation of the cost of living isn’t merely the severity of the cost of living squeeze, it’s the fact that it’s hitting the most basic human needs – food and fuel. The spiralling cost of everything from eggs to electricity doesn’t just hit people claiming benefits, though the disparity between the current 6.2% rate of inflation and the 3.1% rise in benefits ensures the poorest continue to be hit hardest, it also feeds the appalling incidence of in-work poverty, which is becoming a reality for an increasing number of people. According to Joseph Rowntree Foundation figures, 68% of working-age adults in poverty live in a household where at least one adult is in work, the highest number since records began in 1996/97.
With inflation due to hit 7.25% in April, households are facing the tightest financial squeeze for decades, and it threatens to pull thousands more people into poverty. Millions need help to stay afloat. Without help, the government risks swelling the already bleak statistics on debt, poverty and homelessness.
Every day the SVP sees the human cost of poverty as people are literally priced out of the housing market, side-lined because of the price of electricity and gas, and forced to choose between heat and food. These are not choices people should be expected to make in 2022.
The financial mechanisms by which prices are set, allied to short-sighted government policies on benefits and employment, effectively result in the financial subjugation of an entire section of the nation’s population. Their situation, both financial and societal, robs them of human dignity and denies any sense of empowerment to make decisions on their life. But this is a sector of society which is rich in experience. Poverty gives the sufferer an inner strength to survive, which is unique and should be put to use for the benefit of society.
There is a dignity in work, so it makes obvious sense to fund projects which create employment opportunities for people who want to work and leave the anxiety of a life on benefits behind.
The provision of secure employment, decent wages commensurate with the cost of living, and affordable childcare should be at the heart of the government’s much vaunted Levelling Up agenda. It’s only when people and the quality of their lives takes a central role in policy that a truly level society will emerge, but to achieve this people must have the empowerment of choice. To deny choice is to lock people in a virtual prison whose walls are constructed of out-of-reach prices, a lack of employment opportunities and a scarcity of education and progression paths.
The stark reality of the harshness of life is currently laid bare daily; war, suffering, poverty, irreversible environmental damage, hunger. In the face of this unimaginable horror, surely, it’s time we learned to love and respect one another, to see the worth in everyone, the potential and the opportunity to move forward together as a society without excluding swathes of people?
We are all worth so much more than mere money and possessions. Our worth should not be quantified and defined by policies which divide us and set people apart because of their financial status. Policies should aim to raise people up, giving them the opportunity to contribute positively to society.