Rising living costs, especially housing costs, combined with cuts to working age benefits and poor quality jobs, is leading to an increased risk of living in poverty for families both in and out of work, according to research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
The study shows that 710,000 people in Wales are now living in relative poverty – meaning their household whose income, after housing costs, is less than 60 per cent of median income. This figure is the highest rate in the UK and includes 185,000 children, 405,000 working-age adults and 120,000 pensioners, making Wales the most poverty-stricken nation in the UK.
The previous report, by this foundation showed that a total of 14 million people in the UK currently live in poverty – more than one in five of the population.
