UK Poverty

Hosepipe ban now in force as drought-hit region sees driest spring in 132 years The Telegraph & Argus07:54Drought Water Security Global Issues

Yorkshire hosepipe ban: shocking photos show scale of water shortage in reservoirs Yorkshire Post14:40Drought Water Security Global Issues

Midlothian Foodbank’s donations are down but referrals are up Midlothian View14:56UK Food Poverty Food Security Global Issues

Wokingham Foodbank partners with Tesco to support local families The Wokingham Paper08:14UK Food Poverty Food Security Global Issues

UK: Government’s unchecked use of tech and AI systems leading to exclusion of people with disabilities and other… Amnesty International (Press Release)02:38Poverty DWP Global Issues

DWP’s 'unhealthy' AI obsession is trapping people in poverty, Amnesty report finds Big Issue13:51Poverty DWP Global Issues

Children in England face almost-Dickensian levels of poverty Gulf Today09:04UK Child Poverty Poverty Global Issues

Some children in UK growing up in 'Dickensian' poverty: Report Anadolu Agency12:50UK Child Poverty Poverty Global Issues

Using systems mapping to understand and tackle food insecurity New Philanthropy Capital08:52UK Food Poverty Food Security Global Issues

Caithness cab chief ‘blown away’ by impact of food insecurity project John O'Groat Journal, Scotland07:05UK Food Poverty Food Security Global Issues

Michael Buerk's first reaction to Live Aid 'real anger' RTE06:12UK Food Poverty Food Security Global Issues

Forty years later: How Live Aid changed charitable giving and the world Forbes01:49UK Food Poverty Food Security Global Issues

Thames Water warns of drought risk and water shortage in heatwave This is Oxfordshire14:54Thames Water Drought Global Issues

Thames Water announce hosepipe ban – But not for guildford The Guildford Dragon11:31Thames Water Drought Global Issues

Morrisons’ token scheme supports Bramley Care Bears’ food bank West Leeds Dispatch10:46UK Food Poverty Food Security Global Issues

Volunteers collecting for Largs Food Bank in supermarket this week Largs & Millport News13:29UK Food Poverty Food Security Global Issues

Stroud Town Council wants to turn disused phone boxes into quirky community spaces SoGlos.com10:45UK Food Poverty Food Security Global Issues

Stroud District Council wants to turn disused phone boxes into quirky community spaces SoGlos.com10:25UK Food Poverty Food Security Global Issues

Over 1.6 million children live in families made poorer by the two-child limit on benefits – new data The Conversation (UK)14:15UK Child Poverty Poverty England

Two-child limit statistics: new breakdowns show how the policy falls hardest on disadvantaged groups Child Poverty Action Group14:10UK Child Poverty Poverty England

Latest News

In the last 5 minutes

Up to five more regions could face drought this year, Environment Agency says Yahoo! UK & Ireland15:47

In the last 10 minutes

Andrew Liddle: Why government-funded restaurant in Dundee is brave decision Dundee Courier, Scotland15:41

In the last hour

Ealing Foodbank’s most needed items for July 2025 EALING.NEWS15:02

Midlothian Foodbank’s donations are down but referrals are up Midlothian View14:56

In the last 2 hours

‘Brutal austerity’ leads to firefighters rallying against 'dangerous' job cuts which could push … The News, Portsmouth14:49

Yorkshire hosepipe ban: shocking photos show scale of water shortage in reservoirs Yorkshire Post14:40

Chris Elmore MP Launches Back-to-School Stationery Collection across Bridgend & Porthcawl Bridgend-Local.co.uk13:57

In the last 4 hours

Farmer's frustration at sudden ban on abstracting water for drought-hit onion fields Eastern Daily Press, Norfolk13:12

Safeguarding the flow: Appreciating the essential role of water utility workers in 2025 The Workers Union12:03

Coventry pub steps in to help Coventry Foodbank with urgent donations Coventry Live11:54

In the last 6 hours

Nearby Thame hit by hosepipe ban as Thames Water takes action to avoid drought conditions,… Bucks Herald11:41

Thames Water Announce Hosepipe Ban – But Not for Guildford The Guildford Dragon11:31

Rollout of £500m fund to support young people LocalGov11:20

Figures reveal scale of child poverty in North Lanarkshire driven by UK Government’s two child… Daily Record10:06

Dorset charity receives donation to tackle poverty in community Dorset Echo10:04

Business failures show high street troubles are spreading online Dorset Echo10:04

Aldi to give away more than one million meals this summer Devon Live09:54

Earlier today

City’s poverty postcode lottery ‘cannot continue’, says top councillor South Wales Argus07:40

Smile, even though it’s (all) breaking Politico EU07:05

Redditch foodbank founder Isaac honoured with special visit to parliament Redditch Standard, Worcestershire06:20

How the school holidays became a danger zone for some British kids The Independent06:07

North East Lincolnshire faces high child obesity rate, as report finds North-South divide Grimsby Live05:26

Should I share or stay silent? New study shows how tackling mental health stigma at work can double employment rates The Mental Elf05:15

Project to end bed poverty in Tees Valley helps hundreds of youngsters in its first year Hartlepool Mail04:52

I lived on a poverty-stricken housing estate as an anthropologist – this is what I learned about debt Big Issue04:26

Forty Years Later: How Live Aid Changed Charitable Giving And The World Forbes01:49

Yesterday

AA Zaura Receives Honorary Diploma in Humanities from UK Varsity The Authority19:34 13-Jul-25

The UK should not have to ration water The Spectator18:26 13-Jul-25

‘It’s very personal to me’: Darren Jones on his £500m plan to fight child poverty Yahoo! UK & Ireland18:14 13-Jul-25

Some school staff in Wales earn less than minimum wage Morning Star17:00 13-Jul-25

UK University Honours AA Zaura With Honorary Diploma in Humanities ThisDay Live15:17 13-Jul-25

Morrisons’ token scheme supports Bramley Care Bears’ food bank West Leeds Dispatch10:46 13-Jul-25

'Smelly cats' in rubbish dump named after TV's Friends BBC10:46 13-Jul-25

'They didn't invite us to do Live Aid so we did our own thing' BBC08:22 13-Jul-25

Trustee says more working people relying on foodbank as he steps down Bridport & Lyme Regis News07:36 13-Jul-25

Michael Buerk's first reaction to Live Aid 'real anger' RTE06:12 13-Jul-25

Ex-BBC correspondent in Africa says first reaction to Live Aid was ‘real anger’ Evening Standard00:07 13-Jul-25

In the last 7 days

Some school staff earn less than minimum wage - union BBC22:02 12-Jul-25

Kate Middleton Braves Summer Heat To Attend Wimbledon Vanity Fair19:36 12-Jul-25

Thames Water warns of drought risk and water shortage in heatwave This is Oxfordshire14:54 12-Jul-25

Warning for River Tyne as water scarcity continues to affect eastern Scotland East Lothian Courier14:51 12-Jul-25

New Kent 'social supermarket' sees surge in demand since opening KentLive12:08 12-Jul-25

Killed Waiting in Line for Food Aid #GazaGenocide The Orkney News09:11 12-Jul-25

Scotland's papers: Distillery water shortage and summer 'Scorchio' BBC08:50 12-Jul-25

Wokingham Foodbank partners with Tesco to support local families The Wokingham Paper08:14 12-Jul-25

The summer of ’76: When Newport faced its fiercest drought South Wales Argus06:51 12-Jul-25

Coventry Foodbank urgently appeals for donations of toiletries for summer break Coventry Live06:49 12-Jul-25

Why Devon is the best place in the UK - from stunning coasts to granite moors Devon Live06:22 12-Jul-25

Conserve water after 'driest spring on record' Hampshire Chronicle20:50 11-Jul-25

The £25k myth: how the media turns struggle into scandal East Anglia Bylines17:31 11-Jul-25

Footballs donated to foodbank The Lochside Press17:03 11-Jul-25

UK use of AI in digital welfare system sparks human rights concerns Jurist16:52 11-Jul-25

Bono, Bob Geldof Reminisce About Recording “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” in Exclusive Clip from CNN’s Upcoming 40th… American Songwriter16:46 11-Jul-25

Nantwich Post Office is new Foodbank collection centre Nantwich News15:41 11-Jul-25

UK hosepipe ban zones mapped as millions face water restrictions Yorkshire Live15:26 11-Jul-25

Major UK institution cuts 550 jobs after Rachel Reeves tax hikes Birmingham Live14:47 11-Jul-25

EastEnders' Janine Butcher star admits she’s unemployed two years after soap exit The Mirror14:27 11-Jul-25

Live Aid's 40th anniversary: See 40 iconic photos of London Wembley Stadium concert Planet Rock Radio14:22 11-Jul-25

Could we be heading for a drought so bad we have to queue for water on the street? Sky News12:37 11-Jul-25

Second water company announces hosepipe ban The Independent12:27 11-Jul-25

Hosepipe ban unlikely, water firm says BBC12:23 11-Jul-25

Poor and ethnic minority children ‘more likely to die in intensive care’ Leicestershire Live11:40 11-Jul-25

Empowering young people into work Liverpool Express10:26 11-Jul-25

Second water company announces hosepipe ban as millions more face restrictions in England Yahoo! UK & Ireland10:13 11-Jul-25

Concerns raised in States about impact of new minimum wage on traineeships Jersey Evening Post09:08 11-Jul-25

Welsh Water expecting surge in demand this weekend Cambrian News09:05 11-Jul-25

Remembrance chapel proposed for Bucks children's memorial garden Bucks Free Press08:55 11-Jul-25

Hosepipe ban now in force as drought-hit region sees driest spring in 132 years The Telegraph & Argus07:54 11-Jul-25

Caithness CAB chief ‘blown away’ by impact of food insecurity project John O'Groat Journal, Scotland07:05 11-Jul-25

More crew pulled from water after Houthis sink second Greek bulk carrier Financial Mail06:45 11-Jul-25

Children from deprived areas face worse outcomes in intensive care News-Medical.Net05:39 11-Jul-25

MP hosts 'real hero' food bank founder in Parliament Redditch Advertiser, Worcestershire05:17 11-Jul-25

UK Food Insecurity Systems Map New Philanthropy Capital04:25 11-Jul-25

Ethnic minority and poorer children more likely to die in intensive care Imperial College London23:30 10-Jul-25

Record number of people seeking help due to 'rising poverty and inequality' This Is Local London22:36 10-Jul-25

Hosepipe ban rules as first UK area prepares for water restrictions Yorkshire Live19:05 10-Jul-25

England’s family hubs plan aims to build on Sure Start’s success – but may struggle to overcome today’s child poverty… The Conversation (UK)17:30 10-Jul-25

Farmer's warning amid 'worst drought in 41 years' BBC17:08 10-Jul-25

Welfare bill: UK deserves a dignified, supportive, and inclusive social security system Public & Commercial Services Union (Press Release)15:39 10-Jul-25

Invisible India: How a nation of 350 million was erased from its own growth story The Times of India15:14 10-Jul-25

Water scarcity still impacting eastern Scotland as long-term rain and snow deficits take their toll Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Press Release)15:14 10-Jul-25

Food insecurity and obesity: a North-South divide Nursing in Practice14:59 10-Jul-25

Nearly 1.7 million kids impacted by two-child benefit limit - see your area The Mirror14:43 10-Jul-25

Kids Are Going Hungry In Mouldy Homes – This Can't Be The Legacy Keir Starmer Wants HuffPost (UK)14:27 10-Jul-25

Bishop of Leicester comments on two-child benefit limit statistics The Church of England (Press Release)14:27 10-Jul-25

Over 1.6 million children live in families made poorer by the two-child limit on benefits – new data The Conversation (UK)14:15 10-Jul-25

Two-child limit statistics: new breakdowns show how the policy falls hardest on disadvantaged groups Child Poverty Action Group14:10 10-Jul-25

DWP’s 'unhealthy' AI obsession is trapping people in poverty, Amnesty report finds Big Issue13:51 10-Jul-25

Bishop of Leicester comments on two-child limit statistics The Church of England (Press Release)13:26 10-Jul-25

Urgent call to tackle child poverty in the UK Public Health Scotland (Press Release)12:52 10-Jul-25

Sheffield drought: South Yorkshire Police issue statement on how to report a breach of hosepipe … Sheffield Star12:22 10-Jul-25

UK water crisis escalates: Drought declarations loom edie.net11:13 10-Jul-25

Council announces launch of team to help reduce poverty and reach net zero Deadline News10:47 10-Jul-25

Stroud Town Council wants to turn disused phone boxes into quirky community spaces SoGlos.com10:45 10-Jul-25

Stroud District Council wants to turn disused phone boxes into quirky community spaces SoGlos.com10:25 10-Jul-25

82 year old's food bank fundraiser inspired by Occupation Red Cross efforts Channel 10309:16 10-Jul-25

Using systems mapping to understand and tackle food insecurity New Philanthropy Capital08:52 10-Jul-25

Clean water campaigners to run the length of the Cleddau River The Tenby Observer08:39 10-Jul-25

Dorset charity given donation to help local people in need Bournemouth Daily Echo07:08 10-Jul-25

'I could not vote for measures to make people poorer' - MP column York Press06:22 10-Jul-25

Unsung hero Cumbrian honoured for helping at foodbanks and 'serving people in need' The Carlisle News & Star06:15 10-Jul-25

'It's different for young people now' - Young adults in Shropshire battle rising tide of youth unemployment Shropshire Star06:12 10-Jul-25

Copper’s role in designing resilient and sustainable water infrastructure Building Design06:07 10-Jul-25

UK: Government’s unchecked use of tech and AI systems leading to exclusion of people with disabilities and other… Amnesty International (Press Release)02:38 10-Jul-25

Robust measurement is the key to regenerative agriculture's success BusinessGreen00:15 10-Jul-25

Volunteers roll up their sleeves to clear invasive species from water meadows Basingstoke Gazette21:46 9-Jul-25

MP supports the ‘important work’ of organisations working to reduce unemployment Lynn News17:19 9-Jul-25

Britain's bloated benefits bill: Jobless on sickness benefits set to be paid £2,500 More than… MailOnline17:06 9-Jul-25

Grace Graham discusses barriers to entrepreneurship following Maple Review launch TheBusinessDesk.com16:54 9-Jul-25

Desalination plant due to start up to prepare for water shortage Channel 10315:16 9-Jul-25

School highlights from across Wrexham and Flintshire Evening Leader13:59 9-Jul-25

Sick pay day one warning to Sunderland's smaller businesses Sunderland Echo13:44 9-Jul-25

Desalination plant started up due to water shortage Channel 10313:03 9-Jul-25

Where in the UK is in drought - and will it spread further? The Independent12:49 9-Jul-25

Where in the UK is in drought - and will it spread to the rest of the country? Yahoo! UK & Ireland12:35 9-Jul-25

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14 Jul 15:47

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About our UK Poverty news

Latest news on poverty in the United Kingdom. Official poverty estimates for the UK are published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Rates of poverty fell just before the turn of the century and continued to do so until 2004–05. The Institute of Fiscal Studies has counted the number of people in poverty as falling from c.37% in 1996/7 (21.8m people) to c.22% in 2004/5 (13.2m), a figure that remained the same in 2014/5 (14.1m taking population growth into account).

The trend for Relative Poverty is the same (a fall in the number of poor from 1997-98 until 2004-05 and a relatively stable amount since then), although the earlier numbers are lower. Alternatively, it is suggested poverty rose from about 2008-12 but remained stable since then.

A total of 14.4 million people were estimated to be in relative low income - below 60% of average household income - in the year to March 2022. This was down from 13.4 million in the year to March 2021 but almost back to the number a year previously when 14.5 million were living in poverty as the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

Official statistics released by the Department for Work and Pensions on Thursday showed that 4.2 million children were estimated to be living in poverty in the year to March 2022. This was a rise from 3.9 million the previous year. The figure for the year to March 2020 was 4.3 million.

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