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Category: poverty

  • Humans waste over one BILLION meals a day. How can this even be justified?

    Households across all continents wasted over one billion meals a day in 2022, while 783 million people were affected by hunger and a third of humanity faced food insecurity. Food waste continues to hurt the global economy and fuel the climate crisis, nature loss, and pollution. These are the key findings of a UN Environment Programme (UNEP) food waste report published on Wednesday 27 March, ahead of the International Day of Zero Waste.

    UNEP food waste report

    The UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024, co-authored with WRAP, provides the most accurate global estimate on food waste at retail and consumer levels. It provides guidance for countries on improving data collection and suggests best practices in moving from measuring to reducing food waste.

    In 2022 there were 1.05 billion tonnes of food waste generated (including inedible parts), amounting to 132 kilograms per capita and almost one-fifth of all food available to consumers. Out of the total food wasted in 2022, 60% happened at the household level, with food services responsible for 28 per cent and retail 12 per cent.

    Inger Andersen, executive director of UNEP, said:

    Food waste is a global tragedy. Millions will go hungry today as food is wasted across the world. Not only is this a major development issue, but the impacts of such unnecessary waste are causing substantial costs to the climate and nature.

    The good news is we know if countries prioritise this issue, they can significantly reverse food loss and waste, reduce climate impacts and economic losses, and accelerate progress on global goals.

    One billion meals wasted

    Key points from the report include:

    • In 2022, the world wasted 1.05 billion tonnes of food. This amounts to one fifth (19%) of food available to consumers being wasted, at the retail, food service, and household level. That is in addition to the 13% of the world’s food lost in the supply chain, as estimated by FAO, from post-harvest up to and excluding retail.
    • Most of the world’s food waste comes from households. Out of the total food wasted in 2022, households were responsible for 631 million tonnes equivalent to 60%, the food service sector for 290 and the retail sector for 131.
    • Reducing food waste provides compounding benefits: Food loss and waste generates 8-10% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – almost five times the total emissions from the aviation sector. It occurs while 783 million people are hungry and a third of humanity faces food insecurity.
    • Households waste at least one billion meals a day: On average, each person wastes 79kg of food annually. The equivalent of at least one billion meals of edible food is being wasted in households worldwide every single day, using a very conservative assessment on the share of food waste that is edible. This is the equivalent of 1.3 meals every day for everyone in the world impacted by hunger.
    • Food waste is not just a ‘rich country’ problem. Following a near doubling of data coverage since the 2021 Food Waste Index Report was published, there has been increased convergence in the average per capita household food waste. High-income, upper-middle income, and lower-middle income countries differ in observed average levels of household food waste by just 7 kg/capita/year.

    UNEP food waste report: countries lack ‘adequate systems’

    Since 2021, there’s been a strengthening of the data infrastructure with more studies tracking food waste. Globally, the number of data points at the household level almost doubled.

    Nevertheless, many low- and middle-income countries continue to lack adequate systems for tracking progress to meet Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 of halving food waste by 2030, particularly in retail and food services.

    Only four G20 countries (Australia, Japan, UK, the US) and the European Union have food waste estimates suitable for tracking progress to 2030. Canada and Saudi Arabia have suitable household estimates, with Brazil’s estimate expected late 2024. In this context, the report serves as a practical guide for countries to consistently measure and report food waste.

    Food must ‘feed people – not landfills’

    Harriet Lamb, CEO of UK climate action NGO WRAP, said:

    With the huge cost to the environment, society, and global economies caused by food waste, we need greater coordinated action across continents and supply chains. We support UNEP in calling for more G20 countries to measure food waste and work towards SDG12.3.

    This is critical to ensuring food feeds people, not landfills. Public-Private Partnerships are one key tool delivering results today, but they require support: whether philanthropic, business, or governmental, actors must rally behind programmes addressing the enormous impact wasting food has on food security, our climate, and our wallets.

    Featured image via BBC London – YouTube

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • British Gas boss gets an EIGHTY PERCENT payrise while YOU choose between heating & eating

    The boss of British Gas’s parent company Centrica, Chris O’Shea, was given over an 80% payrise in 2023 – despite customers struggling to pay their bills, controversy over it sending bailiffs to force-fit prepayment meters – and the CEO himself saying just weeks ago he was paid too much.

    British Gas: money for nothing

    As investing.com reported:

    Centrica CEO Chris O’Shea’s total pay package in 2023 was £8.2 million, a jump of more than 80% from 2022, the British Gas owner’s annual report showed on Tuesday.

    O’Shea’s total remuneration in 2023 included bonuses and awards of about £7.3 million.

    Centrica in February had hiked dividends by about 33% after annual profits surged last year, partly driven by one-off benefits as the government provided help for consumers struggling with high-energy costs and compensated energy suppliers for unpaid debts they could not recover.

    O’Shea’s pay can hardly be down to an ethical performance by British Gas. For example, as the Canary reported in February 2023, a month earlier an undercover investigation by the Times newspaper found that contractors working for British Gas sent debt collectors to “break into” homes and “force-fit” meters.

    Some of the customers the report identified had “extreme vulnerabilities”. Journalist Paul Morgan-Bentley went undercover with British Gas and exposed its practice. He noted that the company was breaking into the homes of disabled people.

    Then, there’s fuel poverty. National Energy Action (NEA) reported that some four million households across the UK were in fuel poverty by October 2021. The NEA estimates there will be 6.5 million households in fuel poverty in the UK in April when the new price cap comes in.

    Amid this, British Gas’s profits surged – from £72m in 2022 to a staggering £751m in 2023.

    O’Shea: ‘nothing to do with me’

    Yet without irony, O’Shea himself told BBC Breakfast back in January that:

    You can’t justify a salary of that size… It’s a huge amount of money; I am incredibly fortunate. I don’t set my own pay; that’s set by our remuneration committee.

    His statement leaves you wondering what he has to say about his 80-something-percent increase now. People on X had a few answers to that:

    British Gas: happy to screw us over

    Meanwhile, Luke Hildyard is the executive director for the High Pay Centre – a think tank focused on pay, corporate governance and responsible business. He said:

    As Mr O’Shea himself admitted a few weeks ago, it’s not really credible to argue the work that he does is at all proportionate to a pay award even half this size, nor is it necessary to the success of the company. It’s a major governance failure and by extension a policy failure.

    The dysfunctional pay culture of corporate Britain is one of the biggest economic problems facing the country. We should stop major employers from wasting so much money on a tiny number of executives and investors, and put it towards something more efficient and socially useful like raising the pay of the wider workforce or investment in research and technology.

    Amen to that. O’Shea’s preposterously high salary has no justification – apart from rewarding people who are happy to screw the rest of us over.

    Featured image via BBC News – screengrab and Wikimedia

    By Steve Topple

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • High Pay Centre teams up with professors Danny Dorling and Prem Sikka over fat cat pay

    A group of over 20 leading academic social scientists, including professors Prem Sikka and Danny Dorling, have written to the UK’s biggest investment firms and pension funds in a letter highlighting the risks associated with increased executive pay awards. It comes after think tank the High Pay Centre found that many bosses are still earning 75 times more than their lowest paid employees; doing nothing to improve inequality in society.

    High Pay Centre: high pay does not equal productivity

    The letter was co-ordinated by the High Pay Centre. It follows claims by the London Stock Exchange and a number of business leaders that higher top pay awards would improve the competitiveness of the UK economy.

    The academics have expressed reservations about these claims, arguing that:

    • There is limited evidence, beyond individual anecdotes, of UK companies failing to attract or retain key executives because of low pay levels.
    • The link between higher executive pay and better business performance remains questionable.
    • Any shortage of capable candidates for executive roles should also prompt scrutiny of companies’ leadership training and development processes.
    • Top pay increases for senior staff could have opportunity costs in terms of, for example, pay for low and middle income workers or investment in the business.
    • Wider pay gaps between executives and ordinary workers could have a negative impact on employee engagement, productivity and ultimately business performance that should be considered alongside the arguments for higher top pay.
    • Higher executive pay at major employers could trigger an increase in income inequality, leading to socio-economic problems that would damage the UK’s long-term prospects of economic success.

    The letter does not express blanket opposition to higher executive pay at all companies. It instead recommends that investors treat proposals for top pay increases with appropriate scepticism before choosing whether or not to support them on a case-by-case basis.

    Professor Alexander Pepper, emeritus professor of management practice at the London School of Economic and Political Science, said:

    While I welcome constructive debate, it’s hard not to conclude that the London stock market’s unfavourable international competitive position is a consequence of political uncertainty, a confused approach to international trade, a shortage of capital, and the absence of a coherent industrial policy, rather than a failure to remunerate top executives at US pay levels.

    Wider social policy issues also need to be recognised. Business is not carried on in a social and political vacuum.

    Inequality is not good for anyone

    Luke Hildyard, Director of the High Pay Centre said:

    The debate about pay in the UK needs to recognise that there is considerable evidence and a number of expert voices opposed to very high top pay awards. While it is not a zero sum game, excessive executive pay does have implications for the pay levels of the wider workforce.

    There is also a well-documented link between higher levels of inequality and much worse lower levels of happiness, health and wellbeing across society.

    The letter comes off the back of High Pay Centre research that showed in 2022:

    • The median CEO/median employee pay ratio across the FTSE 350 was 57:1 in 2022, slightly up from 56:1 in 2021.
    • 2022 saw a slight decrease in the median CEO/lower quartile (25th percentile, or lowest paid) employee pay ratio for the FTSE 350, at 75:1 compared to 78:1 in 2021.
    • In the FTSE 100, the median CEO/median employee ratio was 80:1 and the median CEO/lower quartile employee ratio was 119:1 (83:1 and 111:1 in 2021).

    Previous High Pay Centre research found that 76% of people think top earners should not be paid more than 20 times their low and middle earning colleagues, while just 3% thought that it was right for CEOs to make more than low and middle earners.

    Signatories

    Signatories to the High Pay Centre’s letter are:

    • Professor Sandy Pepper, Emeritus Professor of Management Practice, London School of Economic and Political Science
    • Professor Ruth Bender, Emeritus Professor of Corporate Financial Strategy, Cranfield University
    • Professor Gwyn Bevan, Emeritus Professor of Policy Analysis, Department of Management, London School of Economic and Political Science
    • Professor Christine Cooper, Chair in Accounting, University of Edinburgh Business School
    • Professor Chris Cowton, Emeritus Professor of Accounting, University of Huddersfield
    • Professor Danny Dorling, Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography, Oxford University Centre for the Environment
    • Professor Patrick Dunleavy, Emeritus Professor of Political Science and Public Policy, Department of Government, London School of Economics
    • Professor Gary Fooks, Professor of Criminology, School of Policy Studies, Bristol University
    • Dr Aditi Gupta, Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Financial Management, King’s College London
    • Professor Lynn Hodgkinson, Professor in Accounting and Finance, Bangor University
    • Professor Jonathan Hopkin, Professor of Comparative Politics, Department of Government, London School of Economic and Political Science
    • Stewart Lansley, Visiting Fellow, School of Policy Studies, University of Bristol
    • Professor the Baroness Ruth Lister of Burtersett, Emeritus Professor of Social Policy, Loughborough University
    • Professor Brian Main, Professor of Business Economics, University of Edinburgh Business School
    • Professor Kate Pickett, Professor of Epidemiology, University of York
    • Professor Andrew Sayer, Emeritus Professor of Social Theory and Political Economy, Lancaster University
    • Professor the Lord Prem Sikka of Kingswood, Emeritus Professor Accounting, University of Essex
    • Professor Tracy Shildrick, Professor of Inequalities, School of Geography Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University
    • Professor Peter Taylor-Gooby, Research Professor of Sociology, School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, University of Kent
    • Dr Ben Tippett, Lecturer in Economics, School of Accounting, Finance and Economics, University of Greenwich
    • Professor Richard Wilkinson, Professor Emeritus of Social Epidemiology, University of Nottingham Medical School
    • Professor Steven Young, Professor of Accounting, Lancaster University Management School

    Featured image via nmarnaya – Envato Elements

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Smirking, solutionless Hunt confirms we’re all underpaid in Tory Britain

    On 22 March, Jeremy Hunt accidentally agreed that more Britons than ever are underpaid in Tory Britain. On Sunday 24 March, he went on a media blitz to confirm this.

    Guess how well that went down?

    Jeremy Hunt’s cost of living

    The following is what Jeremy Hunt originally said:

    Finally I spoke to a lady from Godalming about eligibility for the government’s childcare offer which is not available if one parent is earning over £100k. That is an issue I would really like to sort out after the next election as I am aware that it is not huge salary in our area if you have a mortgage to pay.

    ‘£100k’ is a noteworthy figure right now, as it was reported on 15 March that MPs are set to get a 5.5% raise which will take their salaries up to £91k.

    According to The Salary Calculator, a salary of £100k will net you about £5.7k a month after deductions. When Hunt first made his comments, Sky News reported:

    According to the Office for National Statistics, the average salary for someone in full-time work was £34,963 in April 2023.

    Mr Hunt is standing for the Godalming and Ash constituency, having represented the Farnham and Haslemere constituency.

    According to Rightmove, the property marketplace website, the average price of a house in Godalming has been £683,463 in the past year.

    Looking on RightMove, if you bought a house that cost that much right now, you’d be looking at monthly mortgage repayments of £3.5k a month with a 10% deposit.

    Notably, mortgages are much higher than they’ve been in years, so the majority of Godalming homeowners will not be paying that much, but even if you’re paying £2.5k, the cost-of-living in that area (including childcare) will definitely mean that many are feeling the pinch for the first time.

    So, going through the figures, the man has something of a point. There are certainly areas of the country in which you can be earning three times the national average and yet still be affected by the cost-of-living crisis.

    Before you raise an eyebrow, we’re not pointing this out because we think people are being unfair to Hunt; we’re pointing it out because it highlights the absolute state of this country under the Tories.

    After all, this is a party which runs on a platform of hounding and impoverishing benefit claimants. Now, with the cost-of-living crisis becoming the cost-of-living reality, the chancellor can think of no solution other than to extend benefits to cover Middle England’s middle-class middle managers.

    In other words, if you live in Tory Britain and you’re not in a position to pay yourself, you’re probably underpaid.

    A Hunt’s trick

    All that aside, it’s staggering that Jeremy Hunt didn’t realise how bad it would sound to suggest £100k is a benefits-worthy income. Most people don’t live in areas in which you need to win the lottery to buy a bungalow. It’s even more staggering that he’s now gone on the Sunday politics shows to smirk and repeat this statement:

     

    Several tweets demonstrated that many can’t actually fathom £100k being a low wage:

     

    People are right to feel like this.

    How can you operate a functioning country in which cost-of-living varies so wildly from place to place? Because let’s not forget – even in areas like Godalming, many people will still be earning the minimum wage.

    What happens to them when £200k becomes the benchmark? Things will spiral even further, of course, as the managerial classes have to choose between paying their cleaners £80k a year or bussing them in from several counties over.

    Some pointed out why the gap between the rich and the poor is increasingly widening in Toy Britain – namely because the Tories have pushed the two realities apart with a crowbar:

    The above tweet references a story in the Mirror from 2018 which reads:

    Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt saved almost £100,000 in stamp duty on his purchase of seven flats after exploiting a Tory loophole.

    Stamp duty rules changed in 2016 so anyone buying a second home or buy-to-let property pays a 3% surcharge.

    But bulk purchases of six properties or more are exempt, meaning Mr Hunt will have saved at least £94,500 by buying the seven homes at once .

    Properties in the Southampton development are on the market for between £450,000 and £1million.

    He already faces a parliamentary sleaze probe into his alleged failure to register an interest in the company he used to purchase the flats in Ocean Village.

    Britain is increasingly a country in which hard work – or indeed any work – doesn’t pay.

    What does pay is having the cash to buy into an economic system which prints off free money for those without need.

    Greed eats itself

    Runaway greed is increasingly a problem for the Tories.

    It’s getting harder and harder to squeeze the poor, so the system has no option but to squeeze the middle class.

    Tories like Jeremy Hunt tend to sit in affluent constituencies, and now – when they make their once-an-election-cycle appearance at the village fetes – they’re having to say: ‘I’m sorry, Mr and Mrs Miggins, but it turns out you’re poor now. Don’t worry, though, because we’re lining up a spiffing benefits package for you to sign on to’.

    Given this situation, it’s clear to see why the Tories are losing support all over. And while Labour and the Liberal Democrats don’t have a plan beyond ‘more of the same’, they probably won’t get found out until five years from now when they’re on the telly telling us £500k is the new Universal Credit threshold, and Channel 4 films season 16 of Benefits Street on Park Lane and Mayfair.

    Featured image via Sky News

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Still No Human Rights for the Poor

    The poor and marginalised have not seen any gains in almost 30 years of democracy. The poor remain poor and unemployment, poverty and inequality are worse today than at the end of apartheid. Many more people live in shacks than in 1994.

    Those who live in shack settlements continue to be denied access to basic services such as water and sanitation. Violent evictions continue. Those in the rural areas continue to walk long distances to the nearest health facilities. Those who live in farms continue to be abused by farmers who see them as less than human.

    For almost thirty years we have been treated as human waste and not as human beings. For as long as our dignity and our existence as humans is not recognised we will not be celebrating Human Rights day. For as long as rights on paper do not mean rights in reality we will not celebrate. Instead we are mourning the betrayal of democracy by the ANC, a democracy that so many ordinary people fought so hard for.

    The ANC is a corrupt government with immoral leaders who have no integrity. They came to power claiming to represent the people but have made themselves the enemy of the people. They have vandalised our humanity.

    The ruling party will be using this holiday that is held on the anniversary of the massacres in Sharpeville and Langa in 1960 for its own electioneering. It will do so despite the fact that it perpetrated its own massacre in Marikana in 2012, and despite the fact that it has never acted to stop the assassinations of grassroots activists. It will do so despite the fact that the people of Sharpeville and Langa continue to live under inhuman conditions, like so many other poor people across the country.

    The rights to equality, dignity and justice – as well as the more concrete rights to land and housing – have not been realised because the ANC is led by people who do not care about society. They continue to steal from the poor and deprive us of even basic services such as water, sanitation, electricity and refuse collection. They continue to deny us access to land, to a fair share of the wealth of the country and to a right to participate in all relevant discussions and decision making. Thirty years of rule by the ANC has been thirty years of shame.

    When we organise to build our power from below to struggle for justice we are met with repression, including assault, arrest, imprisonment and assassination. Even our most basic rights to political freedom are denied under the ANC. For us the rights and freedoms on paper do not exist in reality. Repression ensures that we remain oppressed.

    For this reason it is essential to use our collective vote to remove the ANC from power and to give a clear lesson to all politicians in all parties that if they disrespect the people and repress their struggles they will also be removed. We know that there is no socialist or even progressive party on the ballot and that we cannot vote for freedom and justice in this election. All the political parties are funded by factions of the elite and not one of them is on the side of the people. Not one of them is a mass democratic formation. We know very well that whatever coalition of parties rules us after the election we will have to keep struggling against them from the day that they form a new government.

    However we can vote against repression, against the political party that has murdered our comrades and the government that has allowed it to happen and often acted in support of repression. We will be using our collective vote as the poor to remove the ANC.

    Outside of the electoral process we will be organising to keep building our collective democratic power from below and using it to advance towards a more just society.

    The post Still No Human Rights for the Poor first appeared on Dissident Voice.

    This post was originally published on Dissident Voice.

  • In Blackpool and Hartlepool housing benefit is paying a THIRD of all PRIVATE rent

    A new report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) shows that the public are footing the bill for poor-quality private rent homes in some of England’s most poverty-stricken towns. Blackpool and Hartlepool top the list – with a third of all private rents being paid for by housing benefit.

    Housing benefit: propping up rogue landlords

    The JRF’s new analysis has found that:

    • Over £1 in every £3 of private rent in Blackpool and Hartlepool is paid for with housing benefit.
    • Around £1 in every £4 of private rent is paid for with housing benefit in Hull, Great Yarmouth, Hastings, Oldham, Wolverhampton, Bradford, and Sunderland.
    • The majority (70%) of local authorities with below average private rents have a greater share of private rented homes that are more non-decent than average (23%).

    The towns spotlighted in JRF’s new report follow this pattern, with close to a third or higher of private rented properties categorised as ‘non-decent’ in some local authorities. A home is non-decent if any of the following apply – that it:

    • Does not meet the basic legal health and safety standards for housing.
    • Is not in a reasonable state of repair.
    • Does not have reasonably modern facilities and services.
    • Has insulation or heating that is not effective.

    There has been a rapid expansion of the private rented sector in coastal and ex-industrial towns across England. Enticed by lower house prices and higher rental yields, private landlords have bought up homes which are being let out to tenants in poor or even dangerous condition.

    Subsidising poor-quality housing

    Housing benefit is paid to low-income or non-working tenants to help them with their housing costs. In the towns like those JRF highlights, this money is being used to subsidise poor-quality housing. A lack of social housing leaves low-income tenants with no choice but to live in these poorly maintained private rented homes that could pose serious risks to their health.

    The report also finds that in over one in ten local authorities over £1 in every £20 spent in total is spent on temporary accommodation. As demand for temporary accommodation has soared there has been a dramatic rise in private companies renting poor-quality homes to local authorities by the night at a significant premium.

    This can cost councils up to five times more than similar homes that are local authority owned and is pushing some councils to financial breaking point.

    JRF is arguing that bringing private homes into social ownership can make high-cost temporary accommodation cheaper, drive up housing standards in lower-cost areas and make applicable local housing markets more equitable overall.

    Housing benefit for social housing

    This could be achieved by:

    • Supporting local councils to buy existing homes to let as better-quality and less expensive temporary accommodation: for example, by extending the current Local Authority Housing Fund.
    • Growing the community rented sector in lower-cost housing markets where homes are in poor condition and aren’t benefitting local communities.
    • Reforming Right-to-Buy to stop social housing from being sold off and to keep subsidies in the system: for example, by allowing councils to keep 100% of Right-to-Buy receipts and capping the Right-to-Buy discount at 30%.

    Darren Baxter, principal policy adviser at JRF, says:

    Taxpayers and local councils shouldn’t be footing the bill for poor-quality properties owned by private landlords. Tenants on low incomes and homeless people living in temporary accommodation are also paying the price by being forced to live in poor-quality and even downright dangerous homes.

    We need to get this dysfunctional system working again. Strategically bringing private homes back into social ownership is a rapid way to fix this crisis. Doing so would stop vast sums of public money paying for poor-quality homes and rebalance local housing markets towards more affordable homes.

    Featured image via Vice – YouTube

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Republicans Aren’t Done Threatening the Hungry With Planned Cuts to Food Aid

    As the fiscal 2024 budget battle unfolded, congressional Republicans made their position clear — they wanted spending on anti-poverty efforts to be dramatically slashed. Among the cutback targets were two longstanding nutrition programs: the nearly 50-year-old Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, and the 60-year-old Supplemental Nutrition Assistance…

    Source

    This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.

  • Zarah Sultana came out in support of poverty protesters – while the Hunt in parliament did nothing for them

    Campaigners across the UK have been demanding that the Tories sort out rip-off energy bills. This saw protests from Newcastle to Bristol – with one directly outside parliament featuring Labour MP Zarah Sultana, just as the chancellor was delivering his Budget.

    Energy bills: nothing in the budget

    On Wednesday 6 March, the day of the final Budget announcement before a general election, groups joined together across the UK to protest after years of government policy leaving families struggling to make ends meet and costing lives.

    Participants expressed anger at another feeble budget which offered few crumbs of comfort to those suffering most from high energy bills. The chancellor failed to close the 91% loophole in windfall taxes, and failed to invest in the green jobs that would deliver cheaper home-grown energy for us all, and healthier homes.

    Stu Bretherton, Energy For All campaign coordinator at Fuel Poverty Action said:

    Hopefully today will be the last budget of a government that has driven mass poverty, broken public services, illness and death. But none of the parties are offering the bold changes that we desperately need so today we’re seeing trade unions, pensioners, tenants and health workers Unite for Energy For All.

    The next government’s energy policy should set their goal at ending fuel poverty, not managing it, and the money is there in energy company profits to guarantee a basic supply of energy for all.

    Cold homes kill

    The participants pointed to 4,950 excess deaths during the winter of 2022/23, demanding the next government take action to prevent further loss of life through an Energy For All guarantee, along with a national retrofitting scheme and public ownership of the energy sector. All this would reduce energy bills.

    Dr Isobel Braithwaite, a housing and health researcher at University College London, said:

    So much preventable illness is caused or worsened by living in cold damp homes, and healthcare workers see the impacts of poor housing conditions in clinics and hospitals every day. This government should be doing everything it can to bring down energy costs and upgrade housing.

    But right now, Government subsidies for oil and gas extraction, together with expensive energy bills, are enabling fossil fuel companies to make record profits whilst people struggle to heat their homes.

    A transition to cheap, clean, renewable energy that looks after our health and that of our planet, and retrofitting our homes so they waste less energy and stay warmer in winter, are urgently needed public health interventions that could save thousands of lives each year.

    Events highlighted deaths from cold and damp homes in support of the Unite 4 Energy For All campaign. The campaign was launched by Unite Community in 2023 in support of Fuel Poverty Action’s Energy For All demand.

    Protests across the UK over energy bills

    Unite National Officer for Energy, Simon Coop, said:

    Greedy governments and callous corporations are blighting the lives of millions. Every household must be guaranteed enough energy to cover essential needs. No one should be forced to choose between heating or eating. Last year alone, private firms reported profits of £45 billion from our country’s domestic energy system. It must stop.

    The day kicked off with a ‘Cold Homes Kill’ banner drop during the morning rush hour in Chesterfield:

    Protestors caught the attention of passengers at Birmingham New Street Station, where a die-in was held symbolising those killed by the conditions of their homes and extortionate energy bills:

    Mock funeral processions passed through the Arndale Centre in Manchester:

    One also happened in Leeds, from the bus station to the BBC studios:

    funeral procession in Leeds over energy bills

    Events involved among others members of Fuel Poverty Action, Unite Community, the National Pensioners Convention, Disabled People Against Cuts, Friends of the Earth, and health workers from Medact.

    Meanwhile, locals held outreach and information stalls on energy bills in around 15 towns across England, Wales, and Scotland – including Newcastle:

    Ipswich:

    energy bills stall ipswich

    And Swansea:

    Matthew Knight, a coctor in Bradford who joined the day said:

    As doctors, all through winter we are seeing patients coming into hospital with illnesses that have been caused or worsened by living in cold and damp homes. If this government wants to reduce the burden on the NHS, it should be tackling the determinants of health, in case this by bringing down energy costs and insulating homes.

    We need to transition to cheap, clean, renewable energy that looks after the health of people and our planet, instead of lining the pockets of shareholders.

    Drowning out the Hunt in parliament

    One of the largest demonstrations took place in Westminster itself, where people chanted as the Budget was being read by the chancellor. The crowd were addressed by individuals with direct experience of fuel poverty, rip-off energy bills, and cold homes, as well as organisers and members of parliament including Labour MPs Zahra Sultana and Kim Johnson:

    National Pensioners Convention general secretary Jan Shortt said:

    With a staggering 5.3 million now in debt to their providers due to years of rocketing costs, even a lower price cap on energy bills in April is unlikely to help them pay off what they owe. Worse still, those who have been forced onto pre-payment energy meters (PPMs) will simply be cut off and left in the cold because they cannot afford to top them up. This can only serve to endanger more lives.

    Featured image and additional images via the Canary and Fuel Poverty Action

    By Steve Topple

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Rural women are bearing the socioeconomic brunt of the patriarchy-led climate crisis

    On Tuesday 5 March, the United Nations’ (UN) food and farming agency published a report highlighting the gendered impacts of the climate crisis in poor agrarian communities. The UN Food and Agriculture Agency’s (FAO) “The Unjust Climate” study detailed the financial disparity between men and women in rural households in light of climate-fueled extreme weather.

    Specifically, it expressed how the climate crisis intensifies existing gender inequalities. As a result, heatwaves and floods inflict greater economic pain on rural women than men.

    Climate crisis harming poorest households most

    Scientists say the effects of rising temperatures are already harming the poorest and most vulnerable people on the planet most acutely. The UN FAO analysed data from 109,341 households in 24 low and middle-income countries. It cross-referenced these with rain, snow, and temperature data over a 70 year period.

    In rural areas, poorer households have limited access to resources, services and jobs. Given this, they can find it harder to cope with climate crisis impacts. Notably, on average, they lose 5% more income than wealthier households due to heatwaves and 4% more due to floods.

    What’s more, the UN FAO report found that women-led households are even harder hit. Compared to men-led households, they lose around 8% more of their income due to excessive heat. During floods they would lose 3% more relative to men.

    This amounts to an average drop in income per person of $83 due to heat stress, and $35 due to floods. Extrapolating this across all developing countries, these losses totalled $37bn and $16bn respectively.

    UN FAO: it’s worse for women

    The UN FAO report said that:

    Failure to address the unequal impacts of climate change on rural people will intensify the already large gap between the haves and have-nots, and between men and women

    Crucially, it explained that rural, women-led households in low and middle income nations already face more financial burdens than men when disaster strikes. The UN FAO attributed this to deep rooted “social structures, and discriminatory norms and institutions”.

    For instance, the report highlighted that women are bearing a much larger domestic and childcare burden than men, limiting their opportunities to study and find a job. Additionally, this also makes it harder for them to migrate or make money from non-farming activities when the climate crisis affects their crops.

    On top of this, the UN FAO report suggested that if these “significant existing differences” in wages are not addressed, the gap will worsen. Notably, it calculated that if average temperatures increase by just 1°c, women would face a 34% greater loss in total income compared to men.

    The perfect storm of patriarchy and climate crisis

    Already, scientists have estimated that current global temperatures are around 1.3°c hotter overall than they were in the late 19th century. Moreover, multiple studies have linked the climate crisis with the relentless increase in destructive extreme weather such as floods, storms and heatwaves.

    Ultimately, the study illustrated that a perfect storm of patriarchy and the climate crisis are pushing women in land-based communities into further poverty. Importantly, it shows that gender justice must be front and centre of efforts to tackle the climate crisis and the work to mitigate its impacts.

    Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse.

    Feature image via Lomoraronald/Wikimedia, cropped and resized to 1200 by 900, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Parliament is facing more protests – this time over our rip-off energy bills

    Parliament will be the scene of yet more protests – after chronically ill and disabled people blocked a major road in the area over benefit cuts and deaths. This time, the focus is fuel poverty, energy companies profiteering, and the Tory government’s failure to act.

    Fuel Poverty Action demanding #EnergyForAll

    On Wednesday 6 March campaign group Fuel Poverty Action is joining the national Unite 4 Energy For All‘s day of action. This is alongside not only Unite Community but groups representing pensioners, tenants, health workers, chronically ill and disabled people, and more:

    The actions are in support of the Energy For All campaign. Launched by Fuel Poverty Action in 2022, it demands that every household is guaranteed enough energy for safe and adequate levels of heating, lighting, cooking as well as protecting additional needs like medical and mobility aids. It would be paid for by ending fossil fuel subsidies, redistributing energy company profits, and higher tariffs on household energy use beyond necessities.

    Fuel Poverty Action said:

    With the final budget before an election, we’re fed up of being punished with low incomes and high bills!

    #ColdHomesKill so we’re demanding the next government end deaths from fuel poverty by delivering the demands of our #EnergyForAll Manifesto along with democratic control of our energy system.

    The group has also signed an open letter calling on the government to act:

    Parliament protest and across the UK

    So, protests and actions are happening around the UK as follows:

    • Barnsley – Meet 12pm at Tower Centre Precinct near Coffee Boy.
    • Birmingham – Meet 12pm New Street Station.
    • Bristol – Meet 11.30am at Tony Benn House, Victoria St, BS1 6AY.
    • Exeter – Meet 1pm at Exeter Central Train Station.
    • Glasgow (8th March) – Meet 12pm at The Platform Cafe, Easterhouse.
    • Halifax – Meet 12pm at Southgate, above Market.
    • Ipswich – Meet 11am outside Boots, Tavern Street.
    • Leeds – Meet 11.30am outside Leeds Bus Station (John Lewis End).
    • Manchester – Meet 1pm outside Boots, Market Street.
    • Newcastle – Meet 11am at Grey’s Monument.
    • Newport – Meet 12pm John Frost Square outside Kingsway Centre, NP20 1ED.
    • Portsmouth – Meet 12pm outside Civic Offices.
    • Sheffield – Meet 12pm outside the Moor Market.
    • Southampton – Meet 11am outside Poundland, Above Bar Shopping Precinct.
    • Swansea – Meet 11am outside Quadrant Shopping Centre.

    The national protest will be focused on parliament. People can join it at 12pm on 6 March, opposite parliament on College Green.

    Stuart Bretherton, Fuel Poverty Action’s Energy For All campaign coordinator, previously told the Canary:

    Last winter [2022/23] energy bills were at the forefront of headlines and people’s minds. But while the news cycle has moved on, energy bills are still double what we paid two years ago and over 5 million households were in energy debt before this winter even began. We’re not accepting mass poverty as the new norm. The UK Government is passing the buck when there’s concrete policies they can adopt today to reduce poverty and save lives, so direct action is the obvious step for us to push them to do so.

    Spring may be on the way, but the effects of fuel poverty during winter can be long term – or even deadly. Moreover, energy companies and the government working hand-in-hand to rip us off is a year-round issue. So, if you can please join a Fuel Poverty Action protest near you – because cold homes do literally kill.

    Featured image via

    By Steve Topple

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Not that you needed telling, but UK families’ budgets have fallen more than most 37 OECD countries

    UK household spending has fallen more than almost every other OECD country since the pandemic, according to new Trades Union Congress (TUC) analysis published on Friday 1 March.

    The analysis shows the amount UK households spent in their local economies fell by 1.4% between the end of 2019 and third quarter of 2023 – the equivalent of £20bn annually.

    During this period only Germany and the Czech Republic experienced a bigger fall among 37 OECD nations.

    UK household spending: an international outlier

    The TUC says that had UK household spending kept pace with the OECD average, the UK economy would now be at least £84bn a year bigger.

    In the UK households have cut spending by £700 a year, on average, since Covid struck.

    But had spending risen in line with the OECD average, UK households would be spending £2,900 a year more than before the pandemic.

    Tories’ failure to grow the economy

    The TUC blamed the fall in household spending on the government’s failure to deliver growth since the pandemic and on years of economic stagnation.

    The UK economy is just 1% bigger than before the pandemic – compared to 8.2% in America and 4.5% in Canada.

    And the UK is the only G7 country currently in recession – after two successive negative quarters of growth.

    The TUC says this had a huge knock-on impact on living standards.

    The UK is only G7 economy where real household disposable income per head hasn’t recovered to its pre-pandemic levels.

    The union body estimates that if real disposable income in the UK had risen in line with the G7 average since the end of 2019, UK families would be £750 a year better off.

    Years of economic stagnation

    The TUC says family budgets have also been shredded by the last 14 years of stagnating living standards.

    Real wages in the UK are still worth less than in 2008.

    And separate analysis published by the union body at the end of December revealed that unsecured debt (credit cards, loans, hire purchase agreements) is set to rise by £1,400 per household, in real terms, this year.

    A ‘serious economic plan needed’

    The union body warned that without a “serious” long-term economic plan the UK faces endless “stagnation and decline.”

    The TUC urged the chancellor to invest in public services and green infrastructure at the forthcoming Budget to jump-start growth and set living standards on a positive course over the longer-term.

    TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said:

    People need to be able to spend on their local high streets. But household budgets have been shredded.

    Falling living standards have been both a cause and consequence of poor growth.

    While families in other countries have seen their disposable incomes rise, many here are struggling to cover even the basics.

    This is bad for households and bad for our economy. Lower spending is depressing growth and starving our public services of much-needed revenues.

    UK household spending needs a serious plan

    On the need for an economic reset, Nowak added:

    We can’t carry on like this.

    It’s time for a serious long-term economic plan – not sticking-plaster policies.

    That means a proper industrial strategy and investment in public services and green infrastructure.

    That’s the best way to revive our economy and sustain growth into the future.

    Featured image via Gajus-Images – Envato Elements

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • An Approach to Mitigate Poverty and Racism

    Papers advancing critical race theory (CRT) had brought to light the historical intersection of race, society, and law. They also documented the benefits of Whites at the expense, suffering and death of most minorities. However, most conservatives and all right-of-center politicians denied that systemic racism exists. On top of that, the mainstream opinion was that everybody, who wants to work hard, has an opportunity to do well.

    But now things started to change in almost all socio-economic areas. Articles appeared describing the statistics on a wide range of inequalities for Blacks and Latinos when compared to the majority of Whites and Asians. The focus was on insufficient healthcare, lower earnings, and lack of leadership, coupled with appeals to somehow rectify these shortcomings. On a more encouraging note, images of successful Blacks appeared on magazine covers, Hispanics and Blacks were now more often featured in national ads, streaming companies offered movies related to political and socio-economic concerns of Blacks, and universities established new administrative positions for equity programs. Millions of dollars were donated to historically black colleges, talks about reparations resurfaced, and government officials called for some reforms in crucial areas. In general, Blacks welcomed the renewed awareness of the plight of poor minorities and appreciated the outpouring of some financial support as well as talks about possible reforms.

    However, in order to achieve any substantial and lasting changes in the key areas of education, healthcare, housing, nutrition, and equal opportunities, it is necessary to go beyond lists of demands, sporadic financial support, insightful essays, and helpful local programs. Specifically, serious joint efforts of government, industry and minority communities have to tackle the prevailing problems from the bottom up, ie, family-by-family, village-by-village, town-by-town, city-by-city, and state-by-state. Government has to provide the financial support with strict regulations concerning schooling, healthcare, and nutrition. Service and manufacturing industries have to set up shops and provide training programs leading to decent jobs in low-income areas. Most importantly, and quite challenging, are the required contributions from poor people and communities of color. Clearly, massive assistance from influential Black national leaders is necessary.

    To get started, it would be imperative to follow the recommendations of courageous Black celebrities, calling for sound family structures and a demand to refrain from involvement with drugs while seeking help for addictions, and pursuing education as a top priority.

    The prevailing problem is that awareness of past and present wrongdoings, the empty suggestions for reforms, and the flight of banks, markets and companies have largely immobilized minorities and their leaders alike. They seem to feel the only thing to do right now is to just wait for beneficial changes to arrive.

    However, such changes will not occur if the third element of the three-pronged approach to greatly reduce racial and class inequities is not fully in place. Without nationwide collaboration of poor minorities, governmental and industrial efforts may generate at best a few local success stories. They may only last for a little while, implying that future statistics concerning the evidence of ingrained inequality and racism will be very much the same as today. The obvious reasons are that without the collaboration of individuals, families and groups in poor communities, financial resources will be squandered, schools will decay, and shops will be closed. Unfortunately, not making demands towards significant changes in poor families and communities is safe and politically correct; thus, inadvertently prolonging forever the miseries of today.

    The rational for a serious three-pronged approach is that it will reduce inequality and discrimination, which will result in significant social-economic gains. To assure success, public spending has to be sufficient and controlled; private investments have to be secure and profitable; and participation of minorities has to be honest and diligent. Nevertheless, three forces may torpedo lasting success of this comprehensive joint plan. An unwillingness of industry and/or the poor to participate rigorously. A lack of public support, typically achieved via manufactured consent. The massive absorption of financial resources by the military and the national security apparatus, while pushing for the goal of global dominance, overrides the support for basic domestic needs.

    A Cabinet-level branch, with representatives from government, industry and poor minorities, has to be established in order to liberate financial resources and secure a unified drive to implement and maintain the suggested reforms.

    The post An Approach to Mitigate Poverty and Racism first appeared on Dissident Voice.

    This post was originally published on Dissident Voice.

  • Politicians Are Overlooking a Powerful Voting Bloc: Poor and Low-Income Voters

    Amidst all the nail-biting uncertainty over the 2024 election, one thing’s for sure: turnout will be key. This February, the Poor People’s Campaign announced plans to mobilize a powerful yet often overlooked voting bloc: the 85 million eligible voters who are poor or low-income. The campaign crunched the numbers and determined that if this bloc voted at the same rate as higher-income voters…

    Source

    This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.

  • Minnesota’s New Child Tax Credit Could Reduce Childhood Poverty by 33 Percent

    Minnesota government officials are touting the state’s new child tax credit, effective for the 2023 tax filing year, as an incredible investment that will reduce child poverty in the state by a third. Minnesota families can claim up to $1,750 per child with the new credit, which was passed by the state legislature and signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz (D) last year. The credit is tailored to help…

    Source

    This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.

  • 2024 Will See Wave of Minimum Wage Hikes — But the Impacts Won’t Be Felt Evenly

    On January 1, 2024, the minimum wage increased from coast to coast. Indeed, 22 states and more than 40 cities and counties experienced wage increases in 2024 — most of them approaching $15. More states will follow with minimum wage increases later in the year. Undoubtedly, this is mainly the result of underpaid workers organizing and fighting for a decent living wage over the past decade…

    Source

    This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.

  • Summer profile series – inspiring women: Riyana Miranti

    Over summer, BroadAgenda is featuring a short series of profiles on amazing women and LGBTIQ + folks. You’re about to meet Professor Riyana (Mira) Miranti. She’s a socio-economist and development economist who is Convenor of the Indonesian Program at the University of Canberra’s  Faculty of Business, Government and Law.

    If you were sitting next to someone at a dinner party, how would you explain your work and research in a nutshell?

    My work focuses on social equity, disadvantage and wellbeing. 

    What are you currently working on that’s making you excited or that has legs?

    Teaching and doing research have always enticed me.

    Teaching helps others to develop, learn and build a positive influence on future generations. All careers and knowledge begin with an education. Being a teacher also means that I always have the opportunity to learn which is a privilege.

    I am currently working on a research project that analyses multidimensional disadvantage among children. Cumulative factors of disadvantage over time are associated with adverse outcomes in later life. So, it is essential to identify the protective factors from an early age. I’ve been working in this space for a while now.

    Our previous work has been published here and here. 

    In addition, I’ve just recently published an article on women’s role during the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing lessons from the developing country of Indonesia.

    Many women bear the triple burden of productive, reproductive and community roles, with the weight of the reproductive and productive burdens increasing in recent times owing to the impacts of the pandemic. Many of the sectors hardest hit by the pandemic are those where women are more likely to work (low-skilled or informal sector), and so many women had their hours of work reduced or were fired.

    Unlike previous crises that tended to produce the added-worker effect (a short-term increase in the labour supply of women whose husbands have become unemployed), the Covid-19 pandemic may have produced both the discouraged-worker and added-worker effects. The data also show the pandemic has had heterogeneous effects on women, especially between highly skilled and less-skilled women.

    Digitalisation brings new opportunities for female entrepreneurship, not necessarily for less-skilled women, and the divide between genders in both urban and rural areas still needs to be bridged.

    Many households, particularly female-headed households, are at high risk of falling into poverty during such crises. The long-term impacts of the pandemic will also put women’s lifetime earnings and mental health at risk, something that is still considered taboo to be discussed in the case of developing countries. If the impacts of the pandemic are not addressed properly, gender inequality will worsen in the long run as existing structural social and economic inequalities deepen.

    Let’s wind back the clock a bit. Why did you go into this field?  What was compelling about it? 

    I am an economist, but I did not plan to be. My first degree was in accounting from Indonesia, and I wanted a postgraduate degree in finance. However, faith and scholarship opportunities brought me to learn and fall in love with economics, particularly regarding human capital and poverty. Then, when I graduated with my PhD at the ANU and decided to stay in Australia, my job search brought me to a former research centre at UC (NATSEM).

    Coming from a developing country of Indonesia, I naively thought there was no poverty like in my first country. How wrong I was! Since then, I’ve been researching the issue of disadvantage in Australia. There are so many diversities and issues I can learn within this field. At the same time, I am also still researching Indonesian economic development. I am grateful that I have been developing expertise in both countries. 

    What impact do you hope your work has? 

    As a teacher/lecturer, I would be delighted to see if my students understand what I teach, graduate and contribute well to society. In research, our collaborators often provide positive feedback on how they use or cite my work as part of their practices, so hopefully, that means that my work has an impact.

    Recently, I was promoted as a full Professor, having climbed the academic ladder from Level A to Level E in 16 years.

    I was very touched when people came to me and said this had inspired others, mainly as I am a migrant Muslim woman. Hopefully, this also means that I have made some impacts, and I’ll use the Professorial position to give back to our communities better. 

    Do you view yourself as a feminist researcher? Why? Why not? What does the word mean to you in the context of your own values and also your work?

    That is an interesting question. Within my ‘disadvantage’ research, I did research on gender differences in the labour market, the division of labour and the role of unpaid market labour in households. I am not sure whether those work define me as a feminist researcher. My work has always been broader than looking at gender issues. However, reflecting on these words, all of my work will always start with gender analysis. This shows the importance of intersectionality of gender research with other fields. 

    What have you discovered in your work that has most surprised or enchanted you? 

    I love collaboration and engagements. I love meeting people. Through work, I am grateful to have the opportunity to collaborate with many people from Australia and other countries. Many of my collaborators are long-term collaborators, which shows how important trust, respect and collegiality are to ensure the sustainability of our academic activities.

    I am sure this also applies outside academia, we collaborate with other people all the time, even with our children!

    Is there anything else you want to say? 

    Follow your passions, and do what you love. When you do what you love, you will likely feel motivated and that you’re learning and contributing in your chosen field. You will be happier and believed that your efforts matter. So, have courage to do what you love and always be kind.

     

     

     

    The post Summer profile series – inspiring women: Riyana Miranti appeared first on BroadAgenda.

    This post was originally published on BroadAgenda.

  • Bipartisan Tax Bill Offers Generous Corporate Tax Relief, Inadequate Poverty Aid

    On January 16, congressional leaders announced that a bipartisan agreement had been reached on a far-ranging, $78 billion tax package. The proposed legislation is not only bipartisan but bicameral: It was negotiated between Jason Smith, a Republican representative from Missouri and chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden, who is a senator chairing the Finance…

    Source

    This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.

  • Ofgem and Tories under increasing pressure to stop cruel energy standing charges

    New research shows overwhelming support for scrapping the flat-rate daily standing charge on our energy bills, as thousands share their experiences of the energy crisis. It comes energy suppliers have hiked the fixed charges to around £300 – leading one campaign group to say they are causing “widespread energy starvation”. However, will the regulator Ofgem listen?

    Standing charges: a rip off if ever there was one

    As Ofgem itself wrote:

    The standing charge is a cost that is included in each electricity and gas bill. It is a cost set by your supplier. It is also included in the energy price cap that we review and set every three months. Your supplier will charge you this cost each day, even if you do not use any energy on that day. The amount you pay will depend on your supplier and where you live within England, Scotland or Wales.

    The charge covers the cost to maintain the energy supply network, take meter readings, and support government social schemes, for example helping people that cannot afford energy, and environmental schemes.

    Of course, what standing charges also do is help energy firms make huge profits while leaving millions in poverty. However, people are growing wise to this effective con – as a new survey shows.

    Campaign website Organise surveyed 45,000 of its members on standing charges. The results revealed the tough reality that many people across the UK are facing due to the energy crisis, compounded by unfair standing charges that disproportionately affect low-income households.

    Leaving millions in fuel poverty

    Organise’s research showed that standing charges impact adequate heating for 90% of people, with:

    • 84% forced to cut heating, showers, baths, washing, and drying.
    • 72% left in debt or unable to top up a prepayment meter.

    Those on prepayment meters are one group hit hard by standing charges.

    534,462 electricity customers and 269,351 gas customers were cut off between January and March 2023. However, this Ofgem data only covers 4% of households, so ignores millions of other low income struggling households. This includes the two million homes without gas supply that pay the higher electricity standing charges and unit costs.

    Ofgem data shows low Economy 7 users suffering energy deprivation of only 2200 kWh per year versus 9300 kWh total for dual fuel.

    Moreover, energy companies also use the standing charges from poorer households to effectively fund their own operating costs. This is a further kick in the teeth, given the poor standards of customer service companies provide and their marketing and advertising spend which is often wasteful.

    The real-world impact of standing charges

    Organise member Joan said:

    I am having to be extra careful with my consumption, even though I have a disability which is made worse by the cold due to spasms. The standing charge on top of the crippling cost per unit of energy means I have no choice but to cut back.

    Another member of Organise, Jack, said:

    I do anything to keep the costs down, I’m disabled and housebound most of the time. I therefore do not put my heating on and spend most of my time in bed with an electric blanket on as it is the cheapest way of keeping warm. I also eat mainly microwavable meals as it’s cheaper than putting the oven on. Standing charges soon add up eating into what money I’ve put aside for fuel bills.

    Standing charges also undermine energy efficiency by punishing low users and subsidising energy waste. This conflicts with government policy and Ofgem’s new statutory net zero duty.

    Ofgem has previously resisted calls to reduce or remove standing charges, instead increasing them to pay the £2.7bn bill from supplier failures that many blame on poor Ofgem regulation. But increasing public pressure and a report from the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee has forced it to do a review of standing charges.

    This is how you can get involved – but you only have a matter of days to do so.

    Tell Ofgem to sort it out

    Ofgem is coming under mounting pressure to scrap the charge, and has asked for input from consumers and other stakeholders to help them decide what to do.

    The consultation closes on Friday 19 January. However, campaign group Fuel Poverty Action has organised an online template for you to complete. It will then send it to Ofgem on your behalf. You can fill the letter out here. Alternatively, Organise has a pre-composed letter you can sign here.

    Fuel Poverty Action spokesperson Stu Bretherton told the Canary:

    Standing charges bear a huge cost on families and individuals, at around £300 a month that’s wiping out the income of someone on Universal Credit. But that money doesn’t even buy you any energy, it’s a poll tax on something that’s an essential need and a human right. And we’re all forced to pay them even if cut off from your energy supply or forced to switch off the heating and everything else due to mounting energy debt.

    Fuel Poverty Action says this is causing “widespread energy starvation”.

    Outrageous and a scandal

    Bretherton noted that:

    It’s outrageous that people living in tiny flats pay the same as someone heating a mansion and swimming pool. This isn’t just unfair but goes against economic and environmental imperatives to invest in energy efficient housing and heating systems.

    Fuel Poverty Action has long campaigned for standing charges to be abolished and replaced with a national Energy For All guarantee to ensure everyone has their essentials covered according to each household’s needs. Winning change on standing charges is a key step to fixing our upside-down energy pricing system, we’ve pressured Ofgem into this review, so we want to build as much engagement as possible with the consultation while the option is there.

    So, if you’re quick you can get your views on standing charges into Ofgem. Energy companies are ripping us all off, but hitting the poorest the hardest. So, we must take action over this scandal.

    Feature image via Rawpixel – Envato Elements

    By Steve Topple

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • The government is doing nothing about the lies manufacturers sell to us about UK radiators – and it costs us billions

    A documentary video produced by supplier UK Radiators has revealed the financial and ethical implications of misinformation in the heating industry, impacting consumers across Britain. The boss of the company is urging for immediate action against what he calls these “deceptive practices” – because it’s costing consumers billions.

    UK Radiators: exposing the great British heating rip off

    UK Radiators is, on the face of it, a radiator supplier. However, the company has now branched out into campaigning. It has launched a short video documentary called The Lies Costing Britain £Billions – EXPOSED. It looks at the regulations surrounding radiators in the UK and whether manufacturers and retailers are adhering to them. Spoiler alert: they’re not.

    Rob Nezard is the managing director of UK Radiators. He noted in the documentary that:

    In order to comply with British standards, and to be sold legally in the UK, a radiator’s heat output must be tested by a notified body and the heat output advertised for the radiator backed by the test results. The unfortunate truth is that there are millions of radiators sold every year that have not been tested, and the heat outputs being advertised are overstated.

    Why does this matter? Because it affects the efficiency of your heating system, and ends up costing you money in higher heating bills.

    As part of the investigation, tests were conducted on five radiators purchased from five prominent retailers. The results were shocking.

    Given the size of the retailers in question, the number of radiators sold per year and the lifetime of each radiator spanning over a decade, the unnecessary costs being put onto the heating bills of the British public are estimated to be in the billions.

    As an example, the investigation found that manufacturers and retailers were exaggerating the heat output of one radiator by a staggering 38%.

    Watch the full documentary below:

    “We cannot allow these practices to go unchecked”

    This situation highlights a critical failure in regulatory enforcement, allowing suppliers to operate without accountability. It’s not just about financial loss; it’s about consumer trust and industry integrity.

    Nezard said:

    As an industry leader, it’s our responsibility to advocate for transparency and consumer protection. We cannot allow these practices to continue unchecked. The documentary video aims to raise awareness of this issue and gain support for a petition that calls on the relevant government ministers to begin enforcing the regulations that are already in place.

    UK Radiators is calling on the government to “do its job” – which currently it’s not.

    Given we have been in a cost of living crisis for what seems like years, part of which has been spiralling energy costs thanks to the lack of action by government and energy companies – it’s a kick in the teeth to all of us that manufacturers and retailed are kicking us again by ripping us off with radiators.

    You can sign UK Radiators petition calling on the government to act here.

    Featured image via UK Radiators – YouTube

    By Steve Topple

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Spineless Ofgem has just allowed energy firms to restart forcing people onto prepayment meters

    The energy regulator Ofgem has just agreed that three energy firms can start forcing vulnerable customers onto prepayment meters again. It comes after the government put a quasi ban in place in February 2023. One campaign group has hit back at the move – saying Ofgem is once again putting “energy company profits” before customers. And overall, it shows just how spineless the energy regulator is.

    Ofgem prepayment meters: an ongoing scandal

    As the Canary reported back in February, energy companies in the UK could obtain court warrants that allowed them to enter people’s homes and fit the pay-as-you-go (‘prepayment’) meters. This was when customers had fallen into arrears with their energy bills. They were then at risk of companies cutting their gas supply off if they fail to top them up.

    However, an undercover investigation by the Times newspaper looked into this. It found that contractors working for British Gas sent debt collectors to “break into” homes and “force-fit” meters. This prompted uproar from the public and politicians – even though the practice had actually been going on since 1954.

    So, the energy regulator Ofgem and courts stopped energy suppliers from forcing customers to have prepayment meters. However, as the Morning Star reported:

    Ofgem introduced a self-regulating code of practice for energy providers enabling them to resume forced break-ins and installations.

    Scottish Power has now reportedly secured warrants and broken into the homes of mothers with young children to force them onto prepay meters using the code. But the firm claims it was unaware of the customers’ circumstances and would not have installed a meter forcibly had this become clear.

    Now, Ofgem has looked at how companies are dealing with that self-regulating code. It’s decided that three are suddenly so responsible that they can start forcing prepayment meters onto customers.

    Ofgem: spineless AND not fit for purpose

    As the energy regulator itself wrote on its website:

    Ofgem confirmed today (Monday 8 January 2023) that EDF, Octopus and Scottish Power have been given permission to restart involuntary PPM installations after meeting the regulator’s set of conditions, which include conducting internal audits to identify wrongfully installed PPMs and committing to reinstating non-prepayment methods and offering compensation. Suppliers must also provide regular monitoring data to Ofgem, so that concerning trends on involuntary PPM practices can be identified early.

    The regulator also announced that if suppliers install a PPM in a property occupied by someone in the ‘do not install’ category set out in Ofgem’s Supplier Licence Conditions, and have not followed the rules in full set out by the regulator to make sure a prepayment meter is appropriate, they are expected to reinstate a credit meter within 24 hours and compensate their customers appropriately.

    Ofgem is reminding supplier CEOs that the rules must be followed to the letter to avoid a re-run of some of the practices seen last year where vulnerable customers in energy debt were being moved onto PPMs without their consent.

    But who exactly does Ofgem consider a “vulnerable” customer?

    Vulnerable who?

    The energy regulator says vulnerable customers are those with:

    • A continuous supply needed for health reasons, including dependence on powered medical equipment.
    • An older occupant (aged 75+), without support in the house.
    • Children aged under two years old.
    • Residents with severe health issues including terminal illnesses or those with a medical dependency on a warm home (for example due to illness such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis, sickle cell disease).

    So, if you’re a lone parent with a child aged two years and one month – then you can freeze. If you’re aged over 75, but your council will not provide support workers for you due to funding cuts – then you can freeze. Oh, and so can anyone else who doesn’t meet Ofgem’s wafer-thin criteria of vulnerability.

    But it’s OK! Ofgem has said energy firms have to make at least 10 attempts to contact a customer before they can force their way into their home and install a prepayment meter. That means that if you live with enduring mental distress which restricts your ability to deal with the authorities, strangers, or companies – then you can freeze too.

    Happy new year from Ofgem

    For his part, the director general for markets at Ofgem Tim Jarvis (we don’t know what his bullshit job is but we’re confident he’s never been on a prepayment meter) said:

    Protecting consumers is our number one priority…

    While nobody wants to see the practices uncovered last year repeated, we also know that allowing households to build up unsustainable amounts of debt isn’t the right thing to do either. Many households value the control that these pay as you go meters offer over bills and how they can help with budgeting, and suppliers must also be able to recover debt to make sure those costs don’t end up on everyone else’s bills.

    ‘Protecting customers’ is demonstrably NOT Ofgem’s priority – otherwise it wouldn’t allow energy companies to ever forcibly install prepayment meters.

    Stu Bretherton from campaign group Fuel Poverty Action told the Canary:

    Energy firms have proven time and again that they can’t be trusted with this dangerous practice. Just two months ago, Scottish Power was granted warrants impacting families with newborn babies. We need an outright ban but Ofgem continually puts energy company profits first, even when doing so will put lives at risk this winter.

    So, it’s a new year but the same old story from Ofgem. The poorest people in the UK can freeze so long as private energy companies’ profits are protected.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • UK families are suffering the ‘worst decline’ in living standards in the G7

    The UK is only country in the G7 where household budgets have not recovered to pre-pandemic levels. That’s the verdict of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), as its analysis reveals that British families would be £750 a year better off if real disposable income had grown in line with other leading economies

    UK living standards: lagging behind the rest of the G7

    The UK is suffering the worst decline in living standards of any G7 country – according to new TUC analysis published on Monday 8 January. The analysis shows the UK is only G7 economy where real household disposable income per head hasn’t recovered to its pre-pandemic levels:

    Real household disposable incomes in the UK were 1.2% lower in the second quarter of 2023 than at the end of 2019. But over the same period they grew by 3.5%, on average, across the G7.

    The TUC estimates that if real disposable income in the UK had risen in line with the G7 average UK families would be £750 a year better off.

    More pain ahead for households budgets

    The union body warned that the contraction in UK household budgets is going to get worse – despite falling inflation.

    The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts that real house disposable income per head in Britain will fall by an additional 3.4% by the end of the first quarter of 2024.

    And according to the same forecasts household budgets won’t even recover to their pre-pandemic levels until the end of 2026.

    The OBR said in November that UK households are suffering the worst period for living standards since modern records began in the 1950s.

    Households in debt

    The TUC says the Conservatives’ failure to grow the economy and deliver healthy wage growth has pushed many households further into debt.

    Analysis published by the union body at the end of December revealed that unsecured debt (credit cards, loans, hire purchase agreements) is set to rise by £1,400 per household, in real terms, this year.

    The TUC says working people have been left brutally exposed to rising costs and decimated household budgets after years of pay stagnation.

    UK workers are on course for two decades of lost living standards with real wages not forecast to recover to their 2008 level until 2028.

    The TUC estimates that the average worker has lost £14,800 since 2008 as a result of their pay not keeping up with pre-global financial crisis real wage trends.

    The Tories’ damning record is to blame

    TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said:

    The UK is the only G7 nation where living standards are worse than before the pandemic. While families in other countries have seen their incomes recover – household budgets here continue to shrink.

    This is a damning indictment on the Conservatives’ economic record. Their failure to deliver decent growth and living standards over the last 13 years has left millions exposed to skyrocketing bills – and is pushing many deeper into debt.

    We can’t go on like this. Britain cannot afford the Tories for a day longer.

    Featured image via formatoriginal – Envato Elements

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • As workers ate lunch today, CEOs had already earned the equivalent of their annual salary

    The median FTSE 100 CEO’s earnings for 2024 surpassed the median annual salary for a full-time worker in the UK by around 1pm on Thursday 4 January, according to calculations by the High Pay Centre think tank. It means bosses will have already earned over £34,000 this year.

    High Pay Centre: CEO earns £34k in four days

    The calculations are based on the High Pay Centre’s analysis of the most recent CEO pay disclosures published in companies’ annual reports, combined with government statistics showing pay levels across the UK economy.

    As with last year, the executive pay data suggests that CEOs will have to wait until the third working day of 2024 to surpass the annual pay of the median worker.

    Median FTSE 100 CEO pay (excluding pension) currently stands at £3.81m, 109 times the median full time worker’s pay of £34,963. This represents an 9.5% increase on median CEO pay levels as of March 2023, while the median worker’s pay has increased by 6%.

    The figures come against a backdrop of calls from leading figures in the city and big business for UK CEOs to be paid more. In December 2023 Legal and General Investment Management adjusted their executive pay guidelines to permit firms they invest in to offer more generous incentive payments, while earlier in the year the London Stock Exchange Chief Executive argued that low CEO pay levels create a risk to the UK economy.

    How other top earners compare

    The High Pay Centre used other publicly available data to estimate how long it would take other top earners to surpass the median UK worker’s full time earnings.

    Other FTSE 350 executives (comprised of FTSE 100 executives other than the CEO, plus CEOs and other executives of FTSE 250 companies), with a median pay of £1.32m, will need to work until 10 January for their pay to overtake the annual pay of the median UK worker. Moreover, a:

    • Partner at a ‘magic circle’ law firm, average pay £1.92m, would need to work until 8 January.
    • One at a ‘Big Four’ Accountancy firm, average pay £871k, would need to work until 16 January.
    • A top banker (so-called ‘material risk taker’) at one of the five FTSE 100 listed banks, average pay £807k, would need to work until 16 January.

    Everyone in the top 1% of full time UK earners, making at least £145k, will have overtaken the annual pay of the median full time worker by 29 March.

    ‘Massive inequality’

    High Pay Centre director Luke Hildyard said:

    Lobbyists for big business and the financial services industry spent much of 2023 arguing that top earners in Britain aren’t paid enough and that we are too concerned with gaps between the super-rich and everybody else. They think that economic success is created by a tiny number of people at the top and that everybody else has very little to contribute.

    When politicians listen to these misguided views, it’s unsurprising that we end up with massive inequality, and stagnating living standards for the majority of the population.

    Featured image via Wikimedia 

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • The UN just declared it’s highest-level warning of a famine in Gaza – branding the situation ‘catastrophic’

    Action Against Hunger is gravely concerned by the declaration made in a new UN-led report, classifying hunger levels in areas of northern Gaza and for thousands of internally displaced people in the south as Level 5, or “catastrophic” – signifying a very high risk of famine.

    Gaza: two areas at ‘catastrophic’ risk of famine

    Overall:

    • A report produced by the UN, governments, and NGOs, including Action Against Hunger, has been published with the highest rating, Phase 5 or Catastrophe, for food security in two areas of Gaza.
    • Food shortages are so extreme that one in four households in Gaza suffers from starvation, alarmingly high rates of acute malnutrition among the youngest children and significant excess mortality.
    • Despite the extreme challenges, Action Against Hunger continues to work in some areas of Gaza distributing water, food, hygiene products or installing latrines.

    In Gaza, 2.3 million people – half of whom are children – are facing an escalated and potentially fatal risk of hunger. The declaration comes from the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC), a food security framework used by the UN, food security and nutrition experts, and NGOs including Action Against Hunger.

    The latter says the UN declaration must be a turning point, as there have only been four declarations of famine in recent decades: South Sudan (2017); Somalia (2011); North Korea (1995), and Ethiopia (1984). In Gaza, more than 90% of the population is in crisis phase (3) or worse.

    In fact, more than 1.3 million people are in the emergency or catastrophe phase (4 and 5 respectively), while at least one in four households is facing acute catastrophic food insecurity conditions. This means that the lack of food is so extreme that they may suffer from starvation, alarmingly high rates of acute malnutrition among the youngest children, and high mortality rates.

    Virtually every household in Gaza skips meals every day. Four out of five households in the north, and half of those displaced in the south, go days without eating a single thing. This situation could be reversed immediately with increased humanitarian access.

    Israel’s ‘incessant shelling’ adding to the misery

    Chiara Saccardi, regional head of Action Against Hunger in the Middle East, said:

    The combination of incessant shelling, shortages of food, water, fuel, and the inability of humanitarian agencies to fully operate in Gaza has caused this desperate situation. The UN and humanitarian organisations have been warning for weeks about the need to remove barriers to aid entering Gaza to avoid this reality.

    Noelia Monge, head of emergencies for Action Against Hunger, who recently returned from the region, said:

    Everything we are doing is insufficient to meet the needs of two million people. It is difficult to find flour and rice, and people have to wait hours to access latrines and wash themselves. We are experiencing an emergency like I have never seen before.

    Our organisation can continue to operate in Gaza because we have been working there for years. We have mapped where we can get supplies and we can mobilise local staff. But if trucks can’t get in and there is no fuel, food and water distribution will become virtually impossible.

    Right now, safe humanitarian access to people in need is more critical than ever, but since the short seven-day pause in fighting ended on 1 December, the escalation of attacks, particularly in southern Gaza, has forced most humanitarian organisations to reduce their operations to an insignificant level compared to the scale of needs.

    Disease and deprivation rapidly spreading

    For the past two months, Action Against Hunger has been working in dangerous conditions to provide water, sanitation, and food assistance, but security and access have been severely restricted. Not enough aid is reaching Gaza, there are no supplies in the local market, and the organisation can no longer reach areas in the north due to fighting and lack of transportation. It is a desperate situation.

    In addition to the lack of food and water, basic supplies such as nappies, wipes, and soap are also extremely limited.

    Saccardi said:

    Mothers are caring for their children with diarrhoea, sometimes with blood, but have no water, no wipes, and no nappies. People are angry, depressed, and desperate because of the situation they live in. They are very afraid.

    The health system has collapsed, and attacks on hospitals have left much of Gaza’s population without access to any treatment. There are no basic medicines left. Cases of Hepatitis A have been reported, and diarrhoea and lice are common among the population. In overcrowded spaces with no water or sanitation facilities, this is just the beginning of a health crisis on the brink of explosion.

    Ceasefire now

    Action Against Hunger is once again calling for a permanent ceasefire, as a matter of the utmost urgency, if the international community is to prevent people from dying of hunger and disease. Children, the sick, and the elderly are most at risk. Action Against Hunger acknowledges the UN General Assembly’s non-binding resolution urging a humanitarian ceasefire as an important but incremental move towards potentially saving lives amid continuous bombardment and dire hunger.

    The group said:

    We must act now. Ending the conflict is a prerequisite for a meaningful humanitarian response in Gaza, as well as for securing humanitarian access and being able to deliver a massive, multi-sectoral response as soon as possible. We are no longer in the warning phase – we have reached the point of catastrophe.

    Featured image via Anadolu – screengrab

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • The so-called ‘cost of living crisis’ has created a health inequalities ‘timebomb’ for HALF the poorest households

    With the winter solstice bringing the longest night of the year, think tank the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) is warning that a chronic sleep deficit affecting people on low incomes could exacerbate existing and profound health inequalities affecting the UK. It is, of course, down to the so-called cost of living crisis.

    Cost of living: impacting people’s sleep

    The JRF has run a research project on poverty, which included looking at how deprivation affected people’s sleep. It found that:

    • 46% of respondents in low-income households said the cost of living crisis had a negative impact on their sleep, according to the JRF’s latest cost of living tracker.
    • Almost two-thirds (63%) of those who said they were going without the essentials such as food, clothing or toiletries between May and October 2023 reported that the cost of living crisis was negatively affecting their sleep.
    • In contrast, 18% of respondents in households not going without essentials said their sleep was negatively affected by cost-of-living pressures.

    Moreover, the latest findings from the JRF’s cost-of-living tracker raise fears of future health effects for the millions going without essentials such as food, cleaning products or the ability to keep warm.

    • Over three quarters of respondents who reported a negative impact on their mental (77%) and physical health (80%).
    • Respondents living in private or social rented housing (58% and 61%) were also almost twice as likely to have their sleep negatively affected than those who owned their homes outright (31%).

    Wide-reaching effects

    Grounded Voices, a research programme developed to better understand the day-to-day reality of people across the UK struggling to afford what they need, heard from a number of participants about the negative impact of the cost of living on their sleep.

    One participant said:

    If I’m worrying about money it will affect my sleep and how my day runs. It will affect how I take pride in myself, I might wake up in the morning and I’m not able to do like my makeup or my hair and things like that. It’s easy to get in a rut when you’re worried about money – everything else kind of is like outside noise.

    Another added:

    No question it has an impact on your mental health and your ability to process information and deal with other tasks, essentially because it dominates your thoughts.

    You can sometimes run away with these negative thoughts and it can have a huge impact on life and long-term effects on your mental health.

    ‘Health inequalities are a shameful fact of life in the UK’

    Maudie Johnson-Hunter, economist at the JRF who led on the research, said:

    The cost of living has been high for a sustained period but recent years have also seen rising destitution and a fall in the real value of the benefits that are supposed to protect us when we fall on hard times. We have all experienced a bad night’s sleep and found it harder to get through the day afterwards, but for many families cold homes, worries about keeping food on the table and the lack of a secure income makes this an all too common occurrence.

    Being on a low income already makes you more likely to experience worse mental and physical health than people who are comfortably off, and poor sleep is likely to compound this problem and make it harder to improve your health and that of your family.

    Health inequalities are a shameful fact of life in the UK but the cost of living is adding a potential timebomb for the nation’s health. Official figures show that women in the least deprived areas are living more than nineteen years longer in good health than women in the poorest. This is wrong. Our social security system needs to be strengthened so that everyone is able to at least afford the essentials.

    Lisa Artis, deputy CEO of the Sleep Charity, said:

    These results come as no surprise. We have long been witness to rising levels of sleep poverty and sleep problems due the cost-of-living crisis. Amidst the silent struggles of those with the lowest incomes, sleep problems echo the harsh disparities of our world, where sleep should be a right and not a luxury. In the quiet desperation of restless nights, we find a call to action, urging us to build a society where the basic human right to peaceful sleep knows no economic boundaries.

    Featured image via Rawpixel – Envato Elements

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • 30% of people in Wales are set to spend Christmas in ‘Dickensian’ conditions

    Around three-quarters of a million people in Wales (30%) are living in cold damp homes; exposed to the health complications that come from living in fuel poverty. 

    Wales: an acute problem with cold, damp homes

    The latest data from the Warm This Winter campaign reveals that the 30% of people in cold, damp homes in Wales is double that of the UK average – which is 16% of adults or 8.3 million people in total. 

    As well as the most vulnerable being more affected – such as those aged over 75, under six, or with a pre-existing health condition or disability – there are stark differences based on the type of energy bill households have. 

    Across the whole of the UK, a third of smart meter customers who have a prepayment meter (PPM) setting (32%) say they live in a cold damp home with 27% of those on traditional PPMs saying the same. Almost a quarter (22%) of standard credit customers are in cold damp homes, yet just 11% of direct debit customers live in such conditions. 

    The NHS warns that people with damp and mould in their homes are more likely to have respiratory problems, respiratory infections, allergies, or asthma. Damp and mould can also affect the immune system while living in such conditions can also increase the risk of heart disease, heart attacks or strokes. 

    Cold homes can cause and worsen respiratory conditions, cardiovascular diseases, poor mental health, dementia and hypothermia as well as cause and slow recovery from injury. 

    Get involved: sign a petition or join a campaign

    Petitions with over 800,000 signatures have been handed into the prime minister calling for more action to bring down bills now and end energy debt to help end the cold damp homes crisis now facing the country – especially Wales. These include:

    • Over 88,000 signatures here asking for support on energy bills this Winter.
    • Debt Justice – Over 17,000 signatures demanding the government urgently act by bringing down bills and help families get out of debt. You can sign that here.
    • Fuel Poverty Action – over 660,000 signatures demanding #EnergyForAll – Everyone has a right to the energy needed for heating, cooking, and light. That petition is here.
    • Warm This Winter – Over 41,000 signatures here demanding the Treasury introduce an Emergency Energy Tariff to keep people warm this winter.

    You can also get involved with campaign group Fuel Poverty Action. It has recently run a series of Warm Up protests across the UK – highlighting the appalling conditions people are living in, due to the government and energy companies’ unwillingness to control energy costs.

    Fiona Waters, spokesperson for the Warm This Winter campaign, commented:

    It is no wonder that the public are now signing petitions in droves and pointing the finger of blame for the crisis on Ministers who have failed to act to protect the public from this crisis. 

    Instead of help in the form of an Emergency Energy Tariff for vulnerable households and a Help To Repay scheme for those in energy debt, the public will instead be faced with increasing energy bills on 1 January 2024.

    Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented:

    The UK Government needs to get a grip on the cold damp homes crisis now facing the country, with people spending the festive period in Dickensian conditions and unable to stay warm this winter.

    Without immediate action, the cost of this crisis will be felt by increased demand on the already overstretched NHS. 

    Ultimately, a failure to protect people from living in cold damp homes will cost lives.

    Cold, damp homes: a risk to people’s health

    Dr Isobel Braithwaite said: 

    This data shows a shockingly high prevalence of cold and damp homes in the UK, which poses a grave risk to the public’s health. These conditions are severely harming the health of the most vulnerable in society: from young children; people with heart and lung conditions; to older people, and this situation is unconscionable in 2023. 

    These impacts are being driven by political choices, and action is urgently needed to address the causes of this health crisis, both to protect vulnerable households with the campaign’s proposed emergency measures, as well as longer-term action with home retrofit schemes.

    Kay Ballard from Debt Justice who was part of the petition hand in said:

    Lack of government support and energy company profiteering means that this Christmas I have a choice between going into debt or living in a cold damp home. It is an impossible choice and only government action can solve the crisis.

    Stuart Bretherton from Fuel Poverty Action said: 

    Over 660,000 people have endorsed our demand to ensure everyone’s essential energy needs are met, it’s not radical. There’s more than enough money in energy firm profits and subsidies to guarantee an adequate level of Energy For All to keep everyone warm and safe.

    Featured image via KYNASTUDIO – Envato Elements

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Human Rights Local at ATD Fourth World’s Conference on a Poverty-Free Future for Children

    By Lyle Barker and Dr Koldo Casla In July 2023, the Human Rights Local project partnered with ATD Fourth World UK to release a pivotal report, ‘Poverty, Child Protection, and the Right to Protection and Assistance to the Family in England.’ Rooted in extensive research, the report highlights the urgent need for comprehensive reforms in England’s child protection […]

    This post was originally published on Human Rights Centre Blog.

  • Human Rights Local at ATD Fourth World’s Conference on a Poverty-Free Future for Children

    By Lyle Barker and Dr Koldo Casla In July 2023, the Human Rights Local project partnered with ATD Fourth World UK to release a pivotal report, ‘Poverty, Child Protection, and the Right to Protection and Assistance to the Family in England.’ Rooted in extensive research, the report highlights the urgent need for comprehensive reforms in England’s child protection […]

    This post was originally published on Human Rights Centre Blog.

  • Waltzing Matildas: How is Australia Faring on Gender Equality?

    The following is a shortened, lightly edited excerpt of a speech given by Australian politician, diplomat, gender equality advocate and author Natasha Stott Despoja AO, at the National Foundation for Australian Women annual dinner, 2023. Natasha is currently a Professor in the Practice of Politics at the ANU. She’s also an elected member of the UN’s Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.

    What an honor to address this dinner with some reflections on the state of gender equality in Australia and globally.

    I use the reference to the Matildas during this difficult time globally, as one of the great highlights of this year has been the successful Women’s World Cup which brought our nation together and highlighted women’s leadership and prowess.

    Tonight, I pay particular tribute to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women tonight, especially those who championed The Voice.

    It was a profound experience to be on the Prime Minister’s Referendum Council and see the painstaking work and collaboration that went into the Uluru Statement from the Heart and – like many of you – I express my despair at the result.

    From an international perspective, it was concerning to see how my UN colleagues reacted. The specificity of the referendum was lost, but the general message of the rejection of the rights and recognition of Indigenous Australians is a narrative that understandably has currency in some multilateral spaces.

    My not-for-profit work these days involves protecting and advancing the rights of women and girls in UN Member States as a member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). I have just returned from State Party dialogues with countries ranging from Uruguay to France, Albania to Malawi.

    Regardless of the differences, no country has achieved gender equality, including Australia.

    Yet, no country or community, regardless of its circumstances, can reach its full potential while drawing on the skills of only half its population.

    This session was particularly daunting: I spoke with families of the hostages in Israel as well as Palestinian and Israeli feminist NGOs terrified about the welfare of their friends and people as well as the disproportionate impact of war and terror on women and girls.

    We continue to see examples of the deterioration of women’s human rights globally: and the impact and prevalence of Conflict Related Sexual Violence in conflicts such as the Middle East, Afghanistan, DRC, Sudan, Ukraine.

    Despite the crises occurring globally, and the backlash against women and girls, our seat at the table is still missing, especially in peace negotiations.

    This is in spite of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and subsequent resolutions on ‘Women, Peace and Security’ which acknowledge “the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peace-building” and insisted on the increased participation of women in all stages of a peace process, including peace negotiations. 

    We know there is a strong correlation between peace agreements signed by female delegates and durable peace and yet, seven out of every ten peace processes do not involve women mediators or signatories.

    In the multilateral sphere, we are not only dealing with countries which have been slow to advance gender equality, we are now confronted by countries actively backtracking.

    The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has warned about the “pushback and backsliding”, the “systematic countering of women’s rights and gender equality”.

    On IWD, the UNSG Antonio Gutteres said, “the patriarchy is fighting back”, warning it would take 300 years to achieve gender equality at the current pace.

    The covid pandemic also exacerbated existing inequalities and made the lives of those already marginalised — including the poor, people with disabilities, and women and girls, much worse.

    Before COVID, approximately 244 million children were out of school, mostly girls.  Now, the education of almost 1.5 billion young people is at risk.

    As a result of the pandemic, over the next decade, up to 10 million more girls will be at risk of becoming child brides.

    These examples remind us that everything is relative and of course Australia is doing comparatively well. But, the enduring comment I get from my UN colleagues about Australia is that they are surprised that we are not doing better!

    The reality remains that when it comes to gender parity in Australia: women are still paid less for the same work, are more likely to engage in part-time and casual work, carry the primary responsibility for care-giving, for both children and parents, and retire with less superannuation.

    These situations are compounded for women from poorer, diverse and Indigenous backgrounds and for women with disabilities.

    Women represent less than 36% of board positions, there are only 10 female CEOs of ASX 200 companies; women comprise 20% of the ADF workforce and until recently, Australia had fewer women in its highest ranks of government than nearly every OECD country.

    Yet, we know that an increased number of women in leadership roles leads to improved distribution of resources, better maintenance of public infrastructure, better natural resource management, and actually has a positive effect – right down to measures as simple as profit and loss.

    Companies with more women in senior management teams have about 30% higher profit margins than those with lower gender diversity.

    The business case is compelling. As Sam Mostyn and the Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce has made clear, a tax system that eliminates “negative gender biases” could unlock $128 billion lost annually to inequality.

    Apart from this being the fair thing to do, increasing women’s leadership and voice are the right thing to do.

    Research also shows women in leadership positions changes perceptions regarding the roles and aspirations of girls (including reducing the time girls spend on household chores in developing countries), results in more girls attending school and becoming equipped, themselves, to play leadership roles, including in conflict prevention.

    We can’t be what we can’t see.

    When I became a Senator, so many messages came from young women, saying that “if I could do it so could they”.

    That was more than 27 years ago, and the federal parliament was around 14% female, and I was sure that we’d have gender parity long before now.

    I take heart in recent changes: there are more women than ever before, 4% of MPs are of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds, and we have more diverse cultures and backgrounds reflected and represented. The Senate is now 53% female.

    I was serious about changing public perceptions around who was a politician (male, white, privileged, older) and worked with others to change the policy landscape for women generally, and the culture of the parliament specifically. I dealt with ridiculous stereotypes, unsolicited comments and touching, double standards and discrimination.

    Being a younger woman underscored these experiences, but no woman is exempt, and these experiences are compounded for women of color, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, lesbian and trans-women and for women with disabilities.

    All of whom have been profoundly under-represented in our decision-making institutions and whose injustices deserve bolder attention. Along with those of older women, the fastest growing group moving into poverty.

    But, as my CEDAW colleague, Nicole Ameline reminds us, it is not just about numbers – and of course reflecting the difference and diversity in our population – but we need serious ‘disruption’ when it comes to decision-making institutions and ‘systems’.

    Left to right, Jane Madden, President of NFAW, Zali Steggall MP, Natasha Stott Despoja, Aunty Violet Sheridan, Ngunnawal elder, Stephanie Copus Campbell, Ambassador for Gender Equality, Zoe Daniel MP, Sally Moyle, Vice President of NFAW and Mary Atkinson, Ngunnawal elder. Picture: Supplied

    Left to right, Jane Madden, President of NFAW, Zali Steggall MP, Natasha Stott Despoja, Aunty Violet Sheridan, Ngunnawal elder, Stephanie Copus Campbell, Ambassador for Gender Equality, Zoe Daniel MP, Sally Moyle, Vice President of NFAW and Mary Atkinson, Ngunnawal elder. Picture: Supplied

    This is the rationale behind Madam Ameline’s GR 40 which calls for a “paradigm shift towards parity as a key norm in support of the realisation of women’s rights to equal inclusive and meaningful representation in decision making systems at all levels of the CEDAW Convention”.

    These changes are those that the National Foundation for Australian Women has been calling for since its inception.

    Your admirable goal of advancing and protecting the interests of Australian women in all spheres, including intellectual, cultural, political, social, economic, legal, industrial and domestic has been pioneering.

    And, importantly, you goal is to ensure that the aims and ideals of the women’s movement, and its collective wisdom, are handed on to new generations of women.

    It is an honor to be the dinner speaker for this pioneering feminist organisation which I have watched and been honored to connect with since it began. I have admired its founders, including the late Pamela Denoon, and its members. NFAW is one of the most important bodies in contemporary feminist herstory.

    Your work on a gender-lens on budgeting and social policy, the women’s archives and other projects have made Australian women’s lives better and have guided and held accountable governments of all persuasions. I thank you.

    We still have a long way to go before we have a more gender equal future. 300 years is shameful statistic.

    But it is not easy when 59% Australians believe that gender equality has mostly or already been achieved.

    Only 26% disagreed that women are more naturally suited to be the main carer of children and elderly parents – 37% agree with this statement, and 37% are ‘on the fence’.

    Just 53% agree that it is important for Australians to stand up for gender equality in other countries. I am particularly proud of the work that Australia does, especially in partnership in the Pacific.

    We have to tackle the historically-entrenched beliefs and behaviours that drive gender inequality, and the social political and economic structures, practices and systems that support this inequality.

    That means we have to make changes in all the areas in which we live, love, learn work and play!

    Speaking of play… it brings me to sport, and my initial comments. A feature of our State Party dialogues has been the increasing acknowledgement of the role of women in sport. In many areas it has undergone some of the most exciting gender revolutions in recent times.

    I cried on the inaugural night of the AFLW back in 2017.  And has the same feelings as I watched the opening night of the WWC2023. The WWC 2023 was the biggest women’s single-sporting event in the world with ticket sales smashing the previous Women’s World Cup ticket record.

    As a consequence, we have seen greater investment in women’s football and an emphasis on gender equality. And we may be sceptical about some countries. In 2018 women couldn’t enter a stadium in Saudi Arabia and now there’s investment in a national women’s team.

    I loved watching young girls and boys, mostly in their Sam Kerr shirts, at the game and clamouring for photos and autographs.

    I loved this Matilda effect.

    I do note that there is an actual Matilda effect: it is a bias against acknowledging the achievements of women scientists whose work is attributed to their male colleagues.

    Australia celebrates a goal during the International Friendly Match between Australia and Canada at Allianz Stadium on September 6, 2022 in Sydney, Australia

    Australia celebrates a goal during the International Friendly Match between Australia and Canada at Allianz Stadium on September 6, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. Picture: Shutterstock

    And who would have thought the actions of a man would overshadow the greatness of this event?  Football boss Luis Rubiales’ forcible kiss of Women’s World Cup player Jennifer Hermosa — was an abuse of authority and reminded us how women – even in the highest echelons of their sectors or professions – can be subject to inappropriate and abusive actions.

    But these actions were called out and condemned globally. Increasingly, I take great heart from the brave young and diverse women calling out bad behaviour and holding perpetrators to account.

    I think NFAW’s mission to ensure that the aims and ideals of the women’s movement and its collective wisdom are handed on to new generations of women is in good hands.

    But the price of feminism is eternal vigilance, something NFAW has been aware of for decades.

    There are many hard won rights that we must protect and advance, in spite of the global backlash.

    Friends, this is not a women’s problem: this is everybody’s business.

    And I thank you all for being a part of this mission!

    • Picture at top: Natasha Stott Despoja during a welcome reception at ANU, in Canberra, ACT, Australia, 05 September, 2022. Photo: Tracey Nearmy/ANU

     

    The post Waltzing Matildas: How is Australia Faring on Gender Equality? appeared first on BroadAgenda.

    This post was originally published on BroadAgenda.

  • UK has high rate of teenagers missing meals due to poverty, OECD says – as it happpened

    This live blog is now closed, you can read more of our UK political coverage here

    The UK has suffered a sharp decline in its performance in the latest round of influential international academic tests, wiping out recent progress, as the widespread disruption caused by Covid continued to take its toll on education, the Guardian reports.

    Yesterday, when he was being interviewed at the Resolution Foundation conference, Keir Starmer was asked by Zanny Minton Beddoes, the editor of the Economist, if he could say in what way his policies were different from the Conservatives’. Starmer was able to provide a half-decent answer, but he did not entirely dispel her suggestion that in many areas the policy overlap is getting more and more pronounced.

    Today’s announcement is an admission of years of Tory failure on both the immigration system and the economy, as net migration has trebled to a record high under the Tories since they promised to reduce it at the last election.

    Labour has said repeatedly that net migration should come down and called for action to scrap the unfair 20% wage discount, raise salary thresholds based on economic evidence, bring in new training requirements linked to the immigration system, as well as a proper workforce plan for social care. Immigration is important but the system needs to be controlled and managed. But whilst the Conservatives have finally been forced to abandon the unfair wage discount that they introduced, they are still completely failing to introduce more substantial reforms that link immigration to training and fair pay requirements in the UK, meaning many sectors will continue to see rising numbers of work visas because of skills shortages.

    What that means is, if you’ve got a shortage occupation, not just health and social care workers – that might be also engineers, might also include now bricklayers – employers will still be able to recruit at less than the threshold. And yet the government is still doing nothing to tackle those skills.

    We think the Migration Advisory Committee should look at this very swiftly before it is introduced, particularly at the impact this is going to have on British citizens who fall in love across borders.

    Continue reading…

    This post was originally published on Human rights | The Guardian.

  • People have taken action UK-wide over fuel poverty – with a south London protest drawing unwanted attention

    Campaign groups Fuel Poverty Action, Unite Community, and their allies held nationwide protests this weekend, carrying out ‘Warm Ups’ to demand action on fuel poverty. People occupied British Gas offices, protested outside Scottish Power, and engaged their local communities.

    However, not everyone was receptive to the groups’ demands. Security at a South London shopping centre removed activists, simply for ‘warming up’ – albeit with a rather large banner reading ‘Cold Homes Kill’.

    Fuel Poverty Action: we need ‘energy for all’

    Fuel Poverty Action has carried out Warm Ups for over a decade. Activists enter buildings or public spaces in order to warm up as a group. They do this on the grounds of being unable to do so at home due to unaffordable energy prices and the poor conditions of housing. Of course, Fuel Poverty Action and others are also making points about the cost of energy and how it leaves countless poor people struggling.

    The actions are in support of the Energy For All campaign. Launched by Fuel Poverty Action in 2022, it demands that every household is guaranteed enough energy for safe and adequate levels of heating, lighting, cooking as well as protecting additional needs like medical and mobility aids. It would be paid for by ending fossil fuel subsidies, redistributing energy company profits, and higher tariffs on household energy use beyond necessities.

    Unite Community launched the Unite 4 Energy For All campaign in November to support the demand, in collaboration with Unite the Union’s campaign to nationalise energy.

    So, between Friday 1 and Sunday 3 December groups organised over 30 events as far afield as Southend-on-Sea, Portsmouth, Gateshead, and the Isle of Arran – raising awareness of the scourge of fuel poverty and the government and energy companies’ willful inaction.

    Warming Up energy companies

    On 1 December a Warm Up took place at Scottish Power HQ in Glasgow for the second winter running. Participants condemned warrants granted to the energy giant a month ago to forcibly enter the homes of families with newborn babies and install prepayment meters:

    People lined up with their fists in the air outside Scottish Power's head office

    Meanwhile, protestors entered and occupied a British Gas office in Cardiff for 30 minutes, the amount of time they say it takes the company to make half a million pounds in profit:

    People inside a British Gas office with banners that read "cost of living crisis, energy crisis, climate crisis, same crisis" and "warm homes for all"

    Then, on 2 December Fuel Poverty Action ‘Warmed Up’ at OVO Energy’s HQ in Bristol. They bedded down with blankets, sleeping bags, and hot water bottles to symbolise millions of people struggling to keep warm this winter:

    People sat on the floor outside OVO Energy's head office. They are wrapped in blankets and sleeping bags and have signs that read "energy for all"

    Further Warm Ups took place including at the Arndale Centre in Manchester and Kirkgate Market in Leeds:

    Protesters outside the Arndale Shopping Centre in Manchester with a banner that reads "Unite 4 Energy For All"

    Stuart Bretherton from Fuel Poverty Action’s Energy For All campaign said:

    The energy system, with its high standing charges, forced imposition of prepayment meters and other inequities, literally punishes people for being poor. Energy starvation this winter means that lives will be lost if we don’t see concrete action from this Government. People are ‘warming up’ to demand our human right to energy is respected and delivered. There’s plenty of money in energy company profits to ensure access to clean and affordable energy for all.

    However, one Warm Up in South London on 2 December was too much for a shopping centre’s security team.

    Bromley: warming up in the freezing cold

    In the Glades shopping centre in Bromley, members of Bromley and Croydon Unite Community, South East London People’s Assembly, and campaign group the Chronic Collaboration staged a protest and community engagement session. As well as occupying a space in the ground floor, they dropped a large banner off the first floor which read “Cold Homes Kill” – attracting a lot of attention from shoppers:

    However, around 10 minutes into the group’s action, and security were immediately getting involved – telling activists that the Glades was private property, and they couldn’t protest or speak to shoppers about fuel poverty there:

    Undeterred, and somewhat ironically, Unite Community, South East London People’s Assembly, and the Chronic Collaboration took their Warm Up protest outside into the cold. So, instead of a shopping centre they commandeered Bromley’s Christmas tree:

    A banner reading "unite 4 energy for all" attached to the bottom of a Christmas tree

    The groups engaged with shoppers over the Energy For All campaign – with hundreds of people taking leaflets, and dozens signing letters to the government calling for it to act over fuel poverty:

    A street scene with a woman on the left handing a couple a banner while someone films them all

    ‘We will be back’

    Paula Peters is chair of Bromley and Croydon Unite Community. She told the Canary:

    During the occupation of the Glades, security came along and told us it was private property and we were to leave. The action was peaceful and we were speaking to shoppers who were taking leaflets and signing Unite fuel poverty petition cards.

    We were also warming up – as many of us activists included disabled people on pre-payment meters who simply can’t afford to heat their homes.

    Security didn’t care about that, they chucked us into the freezing conditions outside.

    The resolve of the activists yesterday was determined. We will be back for a future protest action very soon to highlight fuel poverty. While people are dying, suffering as a result of corporate greed we will keep campaigning.

    Paula Peters being interviewed in front of a camera

    ‘Stand up and fight’

    Nicola Jeffery is the founder of the Chronic Collaboration – a chronically ill and disabled peoples’ rights group. She told the Canary:

    Fuel poverty is a growing problem in the UK. Yes that’s right, the UK – which is also one of the richest nations in the world. Over the last 13 years Tory governments have forced on its most vulnerable people continuous cuts under a policy of austerity. This has had a serious impact on chronically ill and disabled people, including affecting their health.

    As a result of rising bills and forced pre-payment meters, many are unable to properly heat their homes causing them to be in fuel poverty.

    Many people who struggle to heat their homes look for support locally. In some areas there are ‘warm banks’ available for people to use. Unfortunately, they are very few and far between and if you are chronically ill or disabled this isn’t always accessible or an option, leaving many struggling alone.

    We have ourselves experienced fuel poverty. As a undiagnosed chronically ill and disabled single mother, I was forced to live for nearly two years in receipt of just child benefit. This meant that I literally had £20 a week to live on during that time, £10 on gas and £10 on electric. I was lucky that I could rely on my friends and family for food and support. Others are not so lucky and need so much more support then they are getting.

    We at the Chronic Collaboration fully support Fuel Poverty Action and Unite Community’s collective effort. The government should act on fuel poverty – but it won’t. So, it’s up to all of us to stand up and fight.

    Nicola Jeffery being interviewed in front of a camera

    ‘Fuel poverty is costing human lives’

    As Peters summed up:

    The Warm Up action in Bromley and the banner drop in the Glades shopping centre were of vital importance to stress two things.

    Firstly, the tragic impact of skyrocketing energy bills in a cost of living crisis, meaning millions of people are not able to switch the heating on, which is impacting on people’s health. Tragically, every winter fuel poverty is costing human lives.

    Cold homes are killing people, and while people were Christmas Shopping in Bromley we wanted them to see that – hence the banner drop in the Glades.

    Secondly, the leader of Bromley Council and Tory councillors in 2022 flatly refused to provide the funding for charities and social enterprises to have warm hubs in council wards in Bromley; the council leader said he wouldn’t waste the money on gas and electric, and told residents to warm up in Bromley libraries instead.

    For many residents the nearest library is 1.5 miles away and only open 2-3 days a week due to Tory cuts. Their callous attitude shows what they think of residents – they simply do not care if people are cold and hungry.

    This attitude from Bromley council is also entrenched across much of the political class in the rest of the UK. So, governments and councils will continue to abandon people. However, groups like Fuel Poverty Action, Unite Community, and the Chronic Collaboration will not stand idly by. More actions are expected throughout the rest of the winter.

    Featured image via the Canary, and additional images via the Canary, Bromley and Croydon Unite Community, and Fuel Poverty Action, and video via the Chronic Collaboration

    By Steve Topple

    This post was originally published on Canary.