Blackpool's cost of living crisis: "People are on the brink of poverty" | Times Reports 

As a parent I'm so shocked and sorry to read that. My heart goes out to the children.

As you're only a teacher, you may face poverty too

I think you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who is not at risk of poverty at the moment, whether teacher, doctor, nurse, business owner.... the only ones not at risk are the politicians.

@@DancingAmaya When this lot gets kicked out at the next election things might change?

@@rogersmith8339 i really hope so but i don't see a question here.

😪💔

It's not their fault. It's the Tories and the media

@@kmadge9820 labour won't help them because it isnt in their interest to help the poor. Make people better off and they generally become tories therefore labour want to keep the poor where they are.

@Captain Blacktooth brexit isnt a cancer at all, it is the logical result of mass low skilled migration and a sequence of governments who refused to listen to voters. Sadly the Tories have opened the gates to even worse migration than we had before and they will also suffer the consequences of that mistake.

Blackpool voted 67.5% in favour of brexit and voted conservative in 2019, these people bellowed with confidence at the sneering elite that they "knew what they were voting for". No sympathy.

That's great! I painted a mural of whales and dolphins along the prom way back in 2000. I don't know if that lasted all that long. It was mainly there to hide work going on (I think on sewage pipes?) at the time.

I was working on Houndshill shopping centre about that time……..I saw lots of brilliant artwork being used to minimise the visual impact of the construction works all over Blackpool at the time…….well done

Putin issues nuclear threat and warns: ‘I’m not bluffing’ President Putin warned today that Russia would use nuclear weapons to defend its territory and announced the partial mobilisation of its reserve forces in an escalation of the war in Ukraine. “When the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, to protect Russia and our people, we will...

The pub issue is a very interesting one - my city used to have one for each day of the year it was claimed but that has dwindled. Every now & then a new one pops up and then disappears. Social habits have changed so much in recent times that even really good pubs no longer have the number of regulars they did even 10 years ago. A good illustration of this is not a pub but my sailing club. 20 years ago, it was really busy on Sunday lunch time, Wednesday evening and Friday evening with loads of big social event throughout the year. Now it is rarely open and social events few and far between. The drinks were always way cheaper than the local pubs. You cannot blame the cost of living as most of us now have bigger and newer boats and quite a few fancy cars are seen there. This same change has affected many other community things too. I am not sure what if any the cure is or even should be?

@@tonyeden8381 does Houndshill shopping centre still exist? I remember it in the early nineties.

So true.....watch those neglected Northern towns when fracking is allowed again.... they'll be up here like a shot.

Totally agree ..

Agree. Blackpool has suffered massive under investment for decades.

@PGH Engineer aren't you clever

@PGH Engineer what a sympathetic individual you are!!

The green net zero so liked by the left wing socialists and the green eco warriers are to blame for this problem, now they shout the loudest about the outcome Pure hypocrisy and crocodile tears, they are the guilty ones, who should hang their heads in shame

tories.

Two words. Our Governments.

@@booth2710 actually it’s central banks too. Printing machine goes brrrr

This is the Conservative government.

Agreed, I'm British and feel this way. Unfortunately a lot of people here don't want things to change.

I read the funeral will cost the taxpayers £12 million!!!

Well said, my thoughts exactly

@@sonyasmith1991 and it will bring how much billions to the economy? right, in order to make money, you have to spend money

@@saltymonke3682 the old fable of they bring in more then they cost has been disproved multiple times, people don't come here to see them, they might visit the buildings they own but certainly don't expect to see the queen hanging out her washing.

Yep, Boris allegedly laundered millions to Zelensky the WEF puppet of corrupt Ukraine, billions disappeared in furlough, monies to politicians friends family and associates for scamdemic equipment, illegal immigrants costing 5m per day! This PM, another WEF puppet, won't tax the energy companies on their profits and it just goes on and on!

war and royal funerals.

@@yetidodger6650 Royals have their own money

@@niteblaster1 agree totally it is a choice, the rich are rich by redirecting wealth upwards away from the bottom. It's called Neo Liberalism.

They have their own money because they helped themselves to it. Not only here but abroad.

I live in the north of England and we've always been left behind, Unless it's war then we will be pushed to the front.

Its honestly not as bad as you think. Its just these reports focus on the worst areas. Most people are fine. I think its still better to be poor in the UK than most of the US by far.

yet I bet you're a democrap

@@deathlarsen7502 negative. I align to no party. They're both evil in their own ways.

@@JustDaniel6764 I'm from the north of France and it's exactly the same. There is some sort of trasngenerational hate and contempt for our populations, they always pick someone from our lands to illustrate stupidity and uglyness on TV. The left has lost interest , now they view us only as "probelmatic", they even talk about not allowing us to have children. We were the starving farmers, the miners, the child workers, the soldiers that dies in the trenches by millions, and the ununployed alcoholics that could never find work anywhere when they closed our factories. We pay the price for this history and they don't like to look in that mirror. They refuse us the empathy they give to others.

I would happily donate £20 for her to enjoy a proper meal

This is heartbreaking. It's not deliberate weight loss, it's starvation.

I wish I could help her with electric and some food as well. Why don't they ever leave an email or address for them?

Except that now she is skin and bones, and going hungry. :( This is not the way to lose weight. And even though most of us have no way to give her a meal, we CAN reach out to people in our local area who are going hungry. They are everywhere. I would encourage anyone who is able to donate to a local food pantry and all do what we can to help.

does she smoke?

@@chipbuttytime3396 last time I seen her she did. Had a coffee with her. She used to know my dad so gave us common ground. Not seen her for a while though as my health doesn't allow me to get out much

@@nerfherder5129 Cheers Ken, hope your health improves.

if they are poor, where do they get money for drugs? drugs aren't cheap

Spot on

Surely the money spent on that event could have gone back into social services - or even put into poor peoples' pockets.

@@clarissagafoor5222 When did the monarchs or the government cared about poor people ?

@@bocaj.455 The poor people vote for the government that does this to them...

Distractions distractions

I sure wish you the best. Hang in there.

Junk food is cheap. Maybe that is all she can afford.

Did she have a dog to feed as well? most of them have at least one

Unforgiving weather.

Not really. Our winters are roasting compared to places like, say Canada.

@@AWalkontheWildSideBlackpool well you could compare it to the north pole while you're at it. I lived there, and other parts of the UK. It's very cold in the winter in comparison.

Thank you for the sentiment. As a resident Im sure we reciprocate your good wishes for you also.

@@nerfherder5129 In Barbados? Cheers!

@Jamie Richards Your thoughts here on a British National Character are very insightful. Not easy to quantify, but it definitely exists. Other commenters reference the exploitable weaknesses they observe as well. Your point about our culture and "ways" being weaponised and used against us is SO on the money. Governments, Civil Servants and mainstream Media have all followed the paths of distract&divert techniques, outright lying, manipulation, coercion, carrot&stick, bullying, guilt-tripping and threats - from 1990, when New Labour won government. So thirty two years at least, and probably more than that!

this hit the nail on the head ......a new model is needed the old mentality of "gotta pay the bills is the first hurdle we fail at....we need self reliance as the new model away from bills and greedy profiteering cooperations in governments ...and utilites ...................

@@roadwarrior7401 It's possible, but only if you become absolutely self sufficient. Including sourcing your own water, gas and electricity supply, meaning not depending on companies, organisations to supply you it.

Not poverty, just adjusting to rising cost of living. And yeah potentially not being able to afford basic necessities as many families faced in the 1930s depression

@@Craig121000 "Get over yourself" is such an odd response for someone who is supposedly doing OK, don't you think 🤔? Why the snarky attitude, why not just be grateful that you are not suffering like many people are?

@@JessicaMiller-pc4dj well said jess I agree this is a public platform and the I am alright jack response shone through

Some people lose everything due to circumstances out of their control e.g. lockdowns

John Smith I'm alright Jack what a selfish statement arggggg 😤

They are a product of a poor culture and this is what they wanted.

I feel bad for the true residents of Blackpool, as businesses do not put money back into the town, all local councils see is money, not helping the residents. I bet that the council members have big wages, company cars, all expenses paid for by Tax payers money, a big bonus at Christmas, a big party at Christmas all paid for by tax payer cash, big houses with subsidised mortgages from the tax payer, a closed shop union, clothing allowance, child care allowance, paid holidays, free travel on the transit system,. need I go on???.... get real people the council do not care about you unless it's voting time. dothefivedothefive dothefivedothefive does the council clear the snow off of your path? are you taxed on rubbish collection, do they fight for your rights on bedroom tax? do they lobby against the rising cost of food? No they fill their bank account with your money.

I understand what you are saying. I had my children in the 80's and looking at what they class as child poverty these days, I realise that mine were brought up in poverty although I never thought about it. We just lived on what little money we had. But things should get better with progress, not worse as they are now. We are comfortably off in retirement but only because I've had to scrimp and save so much in the past that it's difficult to get out of the habit. We don't eat huge expensive meals. Yesterday I had a cheese sandwich with one slice of bread and a slice of toast with marmalade for my tea. The problems come when some people are already down to their last penny and can't cut down any more. No one should have to live like this in this day and age when so many are earning millions and there is so much wastage.

Ah the good old days

I think what you are saying there goes a long way to illustrate what I said earlier about things having been unsustainably good for far too long at the cost of people far away.

@@monicas2269 I feel in a similar situation to what you have said about yourself. I live quite comfortably, house paid for etc. I eat quality food but yet simple, e.g. egg mayo or tuna sandwiches, quiche, salad and fruit, etc. Rarely eat out any more. I think a lot of the younger generation go wrong because they want to eat out or have take away junk food, want to have the latest, tech or other none necessities. If they bought less of these things they probably would make their cash go a little further. I am certainly not saying poverty doesn't exist but it certainly isn't like what previous generations of working class people had to suffer.

@@missmuffet3874 I dont think they eat out. I was raised poor, but we always had a big coal fire everyday and a big coat thrown over the bed on cold nights. I dont think they can afford coal today, even if it was legal.

Its not the 6th richest country in the world... Its the 6th largest economy, thats a whole other thing unfortunately. When you look at the US, China and India you can see that the size of the economy unfortunately has little to do with how rich people are. The average household DEBT in the US is $96,000 so most people dont have anything at all. The UK as a country is unfortunately very poor because all its riches are controlled by private parties. How much money BP, Shell, HSBC and the like make has very little to do with the UK people im afraid. The fact that politicians hammer on about how important the UK is, what they really mean is that there are several large multinationals that are UK based, the rest is just propaganda. The UK is on track to have a living standard for its average citizen lower than that of Poland. You only have to look at a country like Norway to see what happens when the natural resources are controlled by the state instead of private parties. Privatisation is just another word for stealing. Companies stealing the means of production and resources from the state and therefore from us.

It might also be one of the most-indebted and most-asset-stripped countries in the world: " 'They' get the gold, we get the shaft".

And in some of the richer countries things are even worse for some!

@@ageoflove1980 I heard that we are now described as a poor Country with pockets of rich people. Like your analysis, you nailed it.

@@shaz7132 Yes it's a very weird situation. Did you know that no less than 7 railway companies in the UK are owned by the international branch of the Dutch National railways (N.S.). The Dutch state owns 100% of its shares. So what it comes down to is that the Dutch "people" make money transporting UK citizens in the UK itself... Many more are German owned etc etc... The wholesale sell-off of British assets is a huge loss for its people in exchange for some short term profits. In Germany the largest gas supplier just got bought by the state in order to have some control over the energy crisis over there. In the US and increasingly in the UK this is all waived away as "evil socialism". I think it's more a situation where a government does what it should do and that's regarding the interests of its citizens as a top priority.

Government greed ,the money is in the politicians bank accounts.

I'm in the same boat, no help from siblings regarding mother with dementia...and by God it hurts to know they simply don't give a damn

@PGH Engineer where did you get this supposed info ?

@@laetitialogan2017 yeah it hurts mom more than me but still .. it's all on me really . Quite a lot to take care of her . Very trying

@@frankmontez6853 wow..and it's a son taking care of her, admirable. My mother is devastated and I cant believe they just walked away, eye opening

@@laetitialogan2017 yes at first they were " helping " two of my sisters but they caused soo many problems .

It needs people to go there and spend their money there rather than cheap foreign holidays. Our economy needs to become more "circular" for us to survive in the world.

Yeh, Spanish people primarily stay in Spain for their holidays. But then again, Spain is a beautiful country.

@@charlottetaylor4471 Parts of Spain are pretty grim and many parts of the UK are world beating in terms of beauty and culture.

those the write the rules exploit and destroy the lesser while laughing on their way to the bank.... same bullshit just another period of time

@@Craig121000 oh shut up john absolute troll

I feel bad for the true residents of Blackpool, as businesses do not put money back into the town, all local councils see is money, not helping the residents. I bet that the council members have big wages, company cars, all expenses paid for by Tax payers money, a big bonus at Christmas, a big party at Christmas all paid for by tax payer cash, big houses with subsidised mortgages from the tax payer, a closed shop union, clothing allowance, child care allowance, paid holidays, free travel on the transit system,. need I go on???.... get real people the council do not care about you unless it's voting time. dothefivedothefive dothefivedothefive does the council clear the snow off of your path? are you taxed on rubbish collection, do they fight for your rights on bedroom tax? do they lobby against the rising cost of food? No they fill their bank account with your money.

Better still end mass immigration and save millions. Illegals alone are costing us 6 million a day. Rather that money go on our Queens funeral any day, she deserved it. Illegals do not.

The funeral generated a lot more than it cost. 100,000 people from America, alone, came to London. Many people, from food vendors to hotels to souvenir sellers to pubs benefited greatly. Spending money on events brings money that spreads to ever sector =people who really need the extra right now.

@@Automedon2 Yes but that doesn't stop people from being piss poor with no future really does it....? Please don't tell us that the money generated from the funeral helps the people in this video because it does not.

@@gedertonfc You could divide the wealth of the whole world equally, and in no time the same people would be poor and rich. In the US, there were several large stimulus checks and unemployment benefits that exceeded the salaries that many were earning, many stopped paying their rent, yet personal debt rose and people were in a worse position than without the perks. Figure out why that is.

@@Automedon2 And how does the money going to souvenir peddlers in London benefit the poor people up North that also footed the bill?

One of the big issues there is that everyone has got used to foreign holidays (not that I have ever had that many as I like Britain) and they have become too cheap at the cost of those in the destination countries. Many in society have become used to unsustainable and unrealistic expectations along with a number of other major changes in social behaviour.

Well the elites plan to ban flying for us plebs soon, so people will be stuck here

We went to Skeggy in the 60's I hated it, and Blackpool

You got greedy

You could of bought quite a few properties back then with that amount of money then sat on them for a few years and retired a millionaire. Shame,

@@charlottetaylor4471 really we worked long long hours doing up Old houses 24/7 for 20 years . We retired at 50/52. How greedy was this

It is impossible to help everyone who is unlucky without helping those who do not try to help themselves!

@@lesleymcshanemitchell9651 Why did you hand over your money to an unscrupulous broker? To get even more money. You had plenty, and then you lost it. You should have been content with what you had, but you were greedy and you paid dearly for that greed.

Yes keeping our unwanted pets cost us a lot but the gov actually pay our taxes to other mp's and ex mp's to source the housing, food etc and the £175 a week pocket money they get... It is nothing short of people trafficking they are a commodity..The whole thing is a huge scam, voting does nothing anymore they are all the same as each other. They need to be ripped out of government and taken over by real people who have led normal lives.

What’s that even got to do with it ? Look at how much was spent on queens funeral

We're Doomed...

santa claus schwab

''Eat zee spiders eat zee Bugs....bon Appetito !!! '''

DR Billy Gates bought 289,000 acres of farmLand !

I feel bad for the true residents of Blackpool, as businesses do not put money back into the town, all local councils see is money, not helping the residents. I bet that the council members have big wages, company cars, all expenses paid for by Tax payers money, a big bonus at Christmas, a big party at Christmas all paid for by tax payer cash, big houses with subsidised mortgages from the tax payer, a closed shop union, clothing allowance, child care allowance, paid holidays, free travel on the transit system,. need I go on???.... get real people the council do not care about you unless it's voting time. dothefivedothefive dothefivedothefive does the council clear the snow off of your path? are you taxed on rubbish collection, do they fight for your rights on bedroom tax? do they lobby against the rising cost of food? No they fill their bank account with your money.

You're not wrong there.

Humans are a_Virus with shoes. -Bill Hicks

I agree 100%

@PGH Engineer what country.?.

@PGH Engineer were do you get your information from, Boris Johnson.?.

@PGH Engineer so that's money allocated for road repairs, sewerage, refuse collection etc etc, it doesn't all go to family's, for heating and eating. That's why worker's in the UK are using food banks, and children are going to bed hungry and cold. You can throw any figure at me, it obviously isn't working.

Slowdown BRAINLESS PEOPLE !! They now address it as CRACKPOOL ??? I wonder WHY ??? WELSH DALE 🙂 .

@@saveassange8043 Why are the people who say they cannot live on benefits over weight? it beats me,!!

@@johnpugh3348 the cheapest food is bread, pasta and rice. They all put on weight because they are carbohydrates. That's why the poorer are overweight. Simple.

@@sandrafinbar I think you live in a fantasy world. I go to the bingo every day and trust me they do not eat pasta etc,. what do you do for a living?

@@saveassange8043 Whist you are right in some cases, my father said, no fat people came out of Belson,

@@saveassange8043 where is what? are you British?

Blackpool B&B's now full of NHS housed people including asylum seekers , refugees and others! No wonder our poor pensioners struggle!

It's not all or the other. Our Queen served us for 70 years and deserves 10 days in our thoughts.

@@heather333 What exactly did that Queen of yours do? Name one thing she did for ppl of England.

@@heather333 No

@@heather333 The old Witch and her perverted spawn are the biggest benefit spongers in human history.

What is Texas like from an English point of view?

Yep.

What leftie twaddle. Then rich get ruicher and the poor get poorer?? Chaneg the record.

@@Craig121000 I have a job already, thank you. Guess you're saying blacks should be imported to pick fruit? Or Albanians? Or it's not good enough for Brits? What happens when the immigrants don’t want to pick fruit any more 🙄

luxury ! lol

Aye, long live Monty Python!

Wrong side of Pennines. That's a Yorkshire tale.

How?

When you are an anonymous minimum wage both like you, tattoos dont matter though really...

I make way less than that and live comfortable and with no debt.

Looks like the standard of living you quote for the US in the 90s was way better than in the UK! - our average wage was way less. Over here (UK) people have got used to things being really cheap and that is unsustainable, and it is now catching up with us. Ordinary people think nothing of having a 40 or 50 inch TV, regardless of how stupid it looks in a small house or the fact that it actually makes viewing worse. The same goes for many things bought cheaply from the far east.

I feel bad for the true residents of Blackpool, as businesses do not put money back into the town, all local councils see is money, not helping the residents. I bet that the council members have big wages, company cars, all expenses paid for by Tax payers money, a big bonus at Christmas, a big party at Christmas all paid for by tax payer cash, big houses with subsidised mortgages from the tax payer, a closed shop union, clothing allowance, child care allowance, paid holidays, free travel on the transit system,. need I go on???.... get real people the council do not care about you unless it's voting time. dothefivedothefive dothefivedothefive does the council clear the snow off of your path? are you taxed on rubbish collection, do they fight for your rights on bedroom tax? do they lobby against the rising cost of food? No they fill their bank account with your money.

I feel bad for the true residents of Blackpool, as businesses do not put money back into the town, all local councils see is money, not helping the residents. I bet that the council members have big wages, company cars, all expenses paid for by Tax payers money, a big bonus at Christmas, a big party at Christmas all paid for by tax payer cash, big houses with subsidised mortgages from the tax payer, a closed shop union, clothing allowance, child care allowance, paid holidays, free travel on the transit system,. need I go on???.... get real people the council do not care about you unless it's voting time. dothefivedothefive dothefivedothefive does the council clear the snow off of your path? are you taxed on rubbish collection, do they fight for your rights on bedroom tax? do they lobby against the rising cost of food? No they fill their bank account with your money.

The royal family uses a lot of peoples money, maybe its time to get rid of them.

@Gammons Trout Excuse me I do not read the fake newspapers or watch fake news EVER!!! Don't judge others. It's bloody blatantly obvious is it not ? We give millions to aid war in Ukraine and our own are in poverty. As "A" example

yeah, the rich like to educate the poor by telling them to FECK OFF!

why ?

@@benlotus2703 so people can get a well paid job

@@leea659 I have a Degree in Computer Science. Ended up as a Data Entry employee ! Luckily i bought a small horrible home in 2004, and now its worth a lot!

@ Lee Anderson yeah if education was of good quality, not the current indoctrination of woke ideology! This had been happening over the last 30 -40 years especially, I have seen the decline in quality of education with my own eyes. People are only taught to pass exams, not actual practical skills, not everyone can be academic or wants to be, there needs to be more variety in practical education, but this doesn't fit in with the current agenda, as they want to turn people into compliant, mindless beings not capable of critical thinking...

Community is very important, but the elites have been dismantling it over the decades

I feel bad for the true residents of Blackpool, as businesses do not put money back into the town, all local councils see is money, not helping the residents. I bet that the council members have big wages, company cars, all expenses paid for by Tax payers money, a big bonus at Christmas, a big party at Christmas all paid for by tax payer cash, big houses with subsidised mortgages from the tax payer, a closed shop union, clothing allowance, child care allowance, paid holidays, free travel on the transit system,. need I go on???.... get real people the council do not care about you unless it's voting time. dothefivedothefive dothefivedothefive does the council clear the snow off of your path? are you taxed on rubbish collection, do they fight for your rights on bedroom tax? do they lobby against the rising cost of food? No they fill their bank account with your money.

I have always been mean when it comes to spending money, partly due to a (financially) poor upbringing but mostly to make sure I have enough for the future.

You and I sir are two peas in a pod

I am now more than comfortably off in retirement!

Hopefully jobs that people can make a reasonable living from.

Hi pal 👋

That's the key point. The government says "unemployment is at its lowest for years", but what are the jobs? What are the salaries? Can people live comfortably on what they earn? NO. Zero-hour contracts, poor working conditions, lack of job security and stability. That is not real employment. It's an absolute con. The financial system/economy is a racket.

@@charlottetaylor4471 zero hour contracts during these times… it is truly hell

@@charlottetaylor4471 You used the term "comfortably", but the problem today is people's expectations of what comfortably is. We have all had things far too good and cheap for far too long to be sustainable and it is all catching up with us now.

By fat, unfit lumps who have not worked for 20 years!

I feel bad for the true residents of Blackpool, as businesses do not put money back into the town, all local councils see is money, not helping the residents. I bet that the council members have big wages, company cars, all expenses paid for by Tax payers money, a big bonus at Christmas, a big party at Christmas all paid for by tax payer cash, big houses with subsidised mortgages from the tax payer, a closed shop union, clothing allowance, child care allowance, paid holidays, free travel on the transit system,. need I go on???.... get real people the council do not care about you unless it's voting time. dothefivedothefive dothefivedothefive does the council clear the snow off of your path? are you taxed on rubbish collection, do they fight for your rights on bedroom tax? do they lobby against the rising cost of food? No they fill their bank account with your money.

it's been an s hole for years and a scumbag magnet

@Hans Apollo it's virtually impossible to live on my wages once I have paid all my bills. I only eat cold food and don't put lights or heating on. I don't retire until i am 68.. My husband died. Just plodding on trying not to spend any money. I am entitled to no benefits or help. But this is life. Just got to get on with it.

@@kimcapaldi9328 You sound like a strong woman. I wish you the best.

@Hans Apollo thank you x🙏🙏🙏🌹🌹🌹

Respecting human lives? Tell that to the quarter million foreign laborers in the UAE who are treated like disposable slaves.

It's the governments fault for not making sure we have our own energy so that we can control our own prices not young people's or anyone else's. Even the middle and upper class are struggling with these prices, people who have worked all their lives still struggling. They utterly failed the people by not having any forethought or common sense. Yes people should be responsible and work hard but in this case it is out of their control.

Oh how far u hav cme in the world!!!Just make sure u 💟 dosent lose compassion 4 them still strugglin. Not every1 has the strength 2get out of the cycle.

@@tinasmith7630 i give more charity a month than i spend on my children.

@@allykhan8594 Gd 4 u!!! But dont judge ones still struggling!!!

@@tinasmith7630 i see with own eyes since child to adult. Reflection is unavoidable, the majority have end up welfare dependent as they don't wish to struggle and do right.

The elites plan to ban flying for us plebs, so people won't have a choice soon.

You’d love it in Blackpool. Rarely do you need AC. The climate in winter is temperate.

hope youre safe from hurricane ian . stay safe

I completely agree. The first woman has a BT hub, which suggests that she pays for broadband. If she was struggling wouldn't a better option be a very cheap pay as you go mobile. She has a cat, that doubtless is being fed by her, again it could be sent to the cats home. She lives in Blackpool where there is a good public transport system and she is old enough for a bus pass so she could get to a public library 5 days of the week from 9am to 5pm and just set her heating to come on at 5pm ready for when she gets home.

@@banana9106 I think that one of the major factors is that we have simply had things too good and too cheap for too long, largely due to poverty in other parts of the world (typically the far east). People have come to have unsustainable expectations and they are now starting to bite us!

@Callum The old lady might not have been the best example of what I was saying, but you get the drift. Some people will still be poor however much financial help you give them, and some will climb out of poverty with little outside help. In fact, it has been proven that the wrong type of help (i.e. purely financial) actually makes things worse in many cases.

@Callum Nowadays, I think there is no lack of opportunities for those who want them. The job market is so diverse and the chances to set up your own business is amazing if you have the will. Sadly, much of the will to do well for yourself comes from family and that is becoming the big issue now.

But spend billions in benefits, health services and education

Thats waste, bet they smoke and drink though, btw if you rent and a pensioner you dont pay rent or council tax.shouldnt have heating all day, put extra clothing on .if shes sitting at home all day she doesnt need to pack the calories in

I agree, i know many that cant budget, they have food delivered every night, a quick look at their recycling bins pizza boxes kentucky bags .i have sympathy for the genuine working poor families that struggle with dignity

True, some act so privaliged ,probably got every gadhet in the house switched on 24/7 then start whining .

@@romystumpy1197 exactly. It’s the working class with two parents working that are struggling the most as they are not entitled to help. Bad times ahead.

@@romystumpy1197 Wrong my dear. Very wrong. Pensioners DO pay rent and council tax. I should know. Where did you get your information?