It’s obvious why London has the highest level of child poverty in the UK. Newly published data has revealed that it is one of the most economically unequal places in the country.
London poverty
Poverty levels are high in the capital, with a reported 38% of children living in relative poverty compared to 27% in the rest of the UK.
Across the North West and the Midlands, 32% of children live in poverty. In the North East the figure is closer to 30%, while in the South East it is the lowest at 21%.
Following immense pressure, only now is Labour doing something about this. Still, they appear to be reversing a Conservative policy—that’s the two child benefit cap which exacerbated child poverty levels.
Low-income families starting from 6 April will be entitled to equal universal credit payments for each of their children living in the household.
After suspending seven Labour MPs who voted against the cap, prime minister Keir Starmer is making another U-turn—in part spurred by the rise of the Greens. It seems that, for Labour, punishing children for being born is more of an electoral issue than an ethical one. The policy change makes further sense, given that the childbearing rate is just 1.4 rather than the 2.1 needed to replace the population.
In two London boroughs—Tower Hamlets and Hackney—more than half of the children live in poverty.
London inequality
The capital also has the highest level of economic inequality in the country. Money equates to resources and expertise, which are finite in some instances. It’s worth noting that the current system also upholds artificial scarcity in the instances where the service or product is not finite. These elites restrict access to resources and expertise in a similar manner to JSTOR’s academic gatekeeping.
In London, the richest 10% receive 11 times more income than the less well-off 90%. And that’s before considering higher wealth inequality.
Speaking to South West Londoner, Kelly Hobbs, 50, a single mother in Sutton said:
I’ve had to look into my finances and do huge cutbacks just to be able to afford to live.
When it comes to finite resources and expertise, people can only be rich if others are not well off. That’s why it’s obvious that London, while harbouring more of the less well off, is also the most economically unequal place. It doesn’t mean everything needs to be completely economically equal, just that working for a living if possible should guarantee you a moderately high standard of living.
With the possibilities of artificial intelligence (AI), the UK can increasingly remove the need for labour, through automated services where enjoyable work, creativity, and leisure time take its place. Until then, we need to address the rising levels of economic inequality in the country.
Featured image via Trust for London
By James Wright
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