14 June 2012
Stop blaming the poor for poverty, say Churches
The Methodist Church, Baptist Union of Great Britain and United
Reformed Church are accusing the Government of continuing a trend
of blaming the poor as new proposals to redefine poverty are
announced.
In 2006, Prime Minister David Cameron promised to measure poverty
in relative terms, which take account of what people need to live
on. But announcements made today signal a definitive shift away
from this focus, with plans to measure poverty in terms of drug
addiction, homelessness and unemployment, rather than income
levels.
"These proposals risk further stigmatising the poor in the eyes of
voters and the media," said Paul Morrison, Public Issues Adviser
for the Methodist Church. "It is universally acknowledged that
poverty is a relative concept. These proposals seek to undermine
the idea that relative poverty matters, by focusing on other
issues. At its worst it will seek to measure the 'faults' of the
poor, further blaming them for poverty.
"We are called to stand alongside the poorest and most vulnerable
in society. By focusing on issues like addiction, which only
affects a tiny minority of people who are poor, the Government is
blaming the poor for poverty and detracting from the real issues.
Recession, low pay and decreasing benefits are driving poverty and
none of these are the fault of the poor."
"These new measures relate more to the Government's perception of
poor people than to the real scale of poverty," added Mr Morrison.
"Factors like addiction are important, but they are not a measure
of poverty."
The Churches support the Living Wage Campaign, which calls for
every worker in the country to be able to earn enough to provide
their family with the essentials of life.