In Holland we feel pretty bloated, but it’s not nearly as bad as on the other side of the canal. Another 3 million Britons are at risk of falling into poverty this winter.
The United Kingdom has the highest inflation rate among all the major western economies, writes NOS. Brits are seeing their energy bill triple, and groceries prices much higher. They also noticed it at the food bank.
“Most people who are coming in here now just have a job,” Monique Collins of the charity Disc told NOS reporter Fleur Lunsbash. “Teachers, janitors, factory workers, cooks, construction workers. People who used to be able to make ends meet, but now they need a food bank.” Many retirees also knock on the door because they do not have enough pension to buy food.
Government Choices
Over the past year, two million Britons have relied on the food bank. An additional 3 million are expected this winter. “We’re seeing the highest inflation in 40 years, but wages have barely gone up. Government aid and subsidies don’t even come close to the huge costs people are facing,” said Carys Roberts, director of the IPPR think-tank.
“Poverty of this magnitude has to do with the choices the British government has made over the past 12 years,” Roberts continues. Just as in the Netherlands, the right-wing government is mainly concerned with high incomes. The number of people living in poverty is increasing rapidly.
Sources): NOS
