Poverty in the UK: Great Britain's 'Working Poor' | Austerity, Food Banks & Inflation Documentary

Documentary on UK's working poor amid soaring energy bills, austerity, and rising poverty, highlighting protests and social struggles.

Key Takeaways

Energy price hikes have sparked a significant civil disobedience movement in the UK.
Economic growth and low unemployment mask the reality of millions of working poor struggling to survive.
Austerity measures have drastically reduced social safety nets, worsening poverty and inequality.
Community solidarity and volunteerism are rising to fill gaps left by shrinking public services.
The UK's socio-economic challenges pose a risk of humanitarian crisis without policy intervention.

What the video covers

The video follows Glenn Robbins, a university professor and leader of the Don't Pay UK protest movement against soaring gas and electricity bills.
Don't Pay UK advocates civil disobedience by refusing to pay doubled energy bills, aiming to rally 1 million protesters to pressure suppliers for lower prices.
Despite the UK's economic strength and low unemployment, millions of Britons are working poor, struggling to cover basic living costs.
The documentary highlights the impact of austerity policies, with social assistance for families cut by half since the Second World War.
Food banks have increased 50-fold since 2010, with volunteers stepping in as public services decline, signaling a growing humanitarian crisis.
Middle-class families like Naomi and Stewart are rationing heating due to inflation and rising costs, illustrating widespread financial insecurity.
The film explores the paradox of wealth concentration alongside widespread poverty and the social consequences of government austerity.
It covers the political context, including protests at 10 Downing Street and government responses under leaders like Liz Truss.
The documentary also touches on the human toll of poverty, including illegal electricity theft and the deaths of vulnerable people.
Overall, it presents a critical investigation into the UK's socio-economic divide and the struggles of those left behind.

Chapters

What is the Don't Pay UK movement about?

Don't Pay UK is a protest movement advocating civil disobedience by refusing to pay sharply increased energy bills to pressure suppliers and the government for lower prices.

How has austerity affected social assistance in the UK?

Austerity policies have cut social assistance for families by half since the Second World War, leading to increased poverty and reliance on food banks and volunteers.

Who are the working poor in the UK?

The working poor are individuals who have jobs but still struggle to cover basic living costs due to inflation, low wages, and rising expenses, sometimes resorting to illegal means to survive.

Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

Speaker A

Foreign lives. Glenn Robbins, this university professor, is one of the leaders of Don't Pay UK, a growing protest movement. So, I'm packing my bag, ready to go to 10 Downing Street for this evening's protest. Like all Britons, Glenn has seen his gas and electricity bills almost double in a year, with another sharp rise on the cards. Glenn and the Don't Pay UK campaigners aren't going to take it lying down. The Don't Pay campaigners kind of latched on to this as a slogan, and I suppose in that sense, it's suggesting a form of civil disobedience of refusing to pay these bills, which are doubling, have already gone up by 80 percent. So much a question of Don't Payers can't pay for millions of people.

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and electricity bills almost double in a year with another sharp rise on the cards Glenn and the don't pay UK campaigners aren't going to take it lying down the don't pay campaigners kind of latched on to this as a slogan and I

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On the day Liz Truss, a former Conservative prime minister, was appointed, Glenn and his movement decided to use the opportunity to strike a blow in the heart of Westminster, a stone's throw from Big Ben, Parliament, and the rest of the government buildings. This is the seat of power. We order these are government buildings, so this is the state in England. Demonstrations are extremely rare. Usually, protests look like this: a few activists organizing gatherings on the pavement in an effort to spread their message, like these anti-Brexit activists here. [Music]

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on the day list trusts a former conservative prime minister was appointed Glenn and his movement decided to use the opportunity to strike a blow in the heart of Westminster a stone's throw from Big Ben Parliament and the rest of the government buildings

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The demonstrators were blocked from approaching the famous front door of 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the Prime Minister. The street is gated and heavily guarded. Outside, Glenn met up with other members of the Don't Pay movement, and there's a bunch of leaflets in here. Also, the profile: mostly middle class and young people who didn't know each other until coming together independently of any trade union or political party. The movement took off on social media and now involves over 200,000 people across the country. We one, two, three prophets, their goal to rally 1 million protesters to stop paying their bills simultaneously in the hope of paralyzing energy suppliers and thus demand lower prices. For many here, it's a matter of survival.

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message like these anti-brexit activists here [Music] the demonstrators were blocked from approaching the famous front door of 10 Downing Street the official residence of the Prime Minister the street is gated and heavily guarded outside Glenn met up with other members

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We're both teachers. We've only recently moved in together. Our bills have absolutely skyrocketed in the past months alone, and they're only said to go up more. And people are estimating that our annual bills might be up to five, six thousand pounds, which on teacher salaries, you know, given the inflation rates are well above 10 at the moment, it's unaffordable any sort of quality. [Applause] The restaurants, they can't afford it. People aren't going to attend. They're going to close. It's just going to become like a dead society where nobody goes out and everybody's just cold at home, not people.

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and now involves over 200 000 people across the country we one two three prophets their goal to Rally 1 million protesters to stop paying their bills simultaneously in the hope of paralyzing energy suppliers and thus demand lower prices for many here it's a matter of

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Today, there are only a hundred or so protesters, but Glenn has hope. The last time he demonstrated was in 1990 against the poll tax introduced by Margaret Thatcher. No, the United Kingdom went up in flames. 17 million demonstrators and riots throughout the country, which eventually led to the fall of The Iron Lady. [Applause] Not yet, but soon they will, and fearless as well. I need to feel the heat of our anger.

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thousand pounds which on teacher salaries you know given the inflation rates are well above 10 at the moment it's unaffordable any sort of quality [Applause] the restaurants they can afford it people aren't going to attend they're going to close it's just going to become

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Two days later, Liz Truss announced a limit increase to 27 instead of 80, but anger still continued to grow. Nearly one in four Britons now live below the poverty line, amounting to over 15 million impoverished. The country is broke. Her Majesty supporters salute their Queen for the last time while wondering how they'll get through the winter, an issue that the new monarch was quick to address. "My Lord, pray be seated." They then Prince Charles replaced Queen Elizabeth at the opening ceremony of Parliament. That emerged his government's priority is to grow and strengthen the economy and help ease the cost of living for families.

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Thatcher no the United Kingdom went up in Flames 17 million demonstrators and riots throughout the country which eventually led to the fall of The Iron Lady [Applause] not yet but soon they will and fearless as well I need to feel the heat of our

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The paradox of the world's sixth largest economy: a kingdom of entrepreneurial freedom and flourishing fortunes with 177 billionaires driven by the dynamism of London and its suburbs. The country has a historically low unemployment rate of 3.5 percent, but for millions of Britons, work no longer pays the bills. They are the working poor who struggle to make ends meet and are sometimes forced to resort to fraud to survive, ambitiously stealing electricity, which is illegal. And for me to do that is disgusting.

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broke Her Majesty supporters salute their Queen for the last time while wondering how they'll get through the winter an issue that the new monarch was quick to address my Lord pray be seated they then Prince Charles replaced Queen

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The other face of England: a society without a safety net where, after a decade of austerity, social assistance for families has been cut in half, unseen since the Second World War. The human toll is disastrous. [Music] They just stopped his support. He was a four and a half stone when he died. This is how the state is treating vulnerable people. That just shouldn't happen.

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freedom and flourishing fortunes with 177 billionaires driven by the dynamism of London and its suburbs the country has a historically low unemployment rate of 3.5 percent but for millions of britons work no longer pays the bills they are the Working Poor who struggle

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Faced with the government's inadequacy, the British people organized themselves in a tremendous show of solidarity. The number of food banks has increased 50-fold since 2010, and while public services are disappearing, thousands of volunteers are taking over, particularly in the transport sector. Good morning. I'm a volunteer. I don't get paid anything. Some predict a humanitarian catastrophe to come if nothing is done to help the most disadvantaged. An investigation into the kingdom of those forgotten by the crown. [Music]

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decade of austerity social assistance for families has been cut in half unseen since the second world war the human toll is disastrous [Music] they just stopped his support he was a four and a half Stone when he died this

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Leighton Buzzard, population 38,000, is 40 minutes from central London, a residential suburb where life usually runs smoothly. The town is far from being a disaster area, and yet on market days around the stalls, inflation is on everyone's minds. In one year, food prices have risen by 14 percent, the highest since 2008. So when Naomi and Stewart go shopping, two young executives aged 38 and 42, they are extra vigilant. Thank you.

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services are disappearing thousands of volunteers are taking over particularly in the transport sector good morning I'm a volunteer I don't get paid anything some predict a humanitarian catastrophe to come if nothing is done to help the most disadvantaged an investigation into

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I'm always comparing how expensive it is now compared to how it was six or 12 months ago. Things have got more expensive, and there's also fewer choices as well. We can't afford to not be diligent now. We need to be a little bit more careful with what we spend our money on, especially now we've got a baby.

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around the Stalls inflation is on everyone's Minds in one year food prices have risen by 14 the highest since 2008 so when Naomi and Stewart go shopping two young Executives aged 38 and 42 they are extra vigilant thank you

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Like many Britons, the couple have seen prices skyrocket, and they don't expect much from the new monarch. I hope that he is thinking, "This is crazy. What's going on? We need to really help and change the way the country is being governed at the moment." However, I suspect very little will be done.

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need to be a little bit more careful with what we spend our money on especially now we've got a baby like many britons the couple have seen prices Skyrocket and they don't expect much from the new monarch I hope that he is thinking this is crazy

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Yet the family is far from poor. They own a nice house in a suburban neighborhood. Naomi is an executive at a car manufacturer, and Stewart is a computer salesman, a typical middle-class couple who until now haven't had the fear for their economic situation. But now, despite an income of 3,500 pounds a month, the couple has started to ration the heating. Oh, it's not very hot in here, is it? Uh, that's because we only heat one room at a time. So my other half, he's working in the kitchen at the moment.

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Naomi is an executive at a car manufacturer and Stewart is a computer salesman a typical middle-class couple who until now haven't had the fear for their economic situation but now despite an income of 3 500 pounds a month the

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And so the radiator has been on in the kitchen just this morning for an hour. Now we're being very, very careful because the price keeps on going up. Since her maternity leave ended, Naomi has had no income, but she is reluctant to return to work as she cannot afford a full-time nanny. Also the case for her sister Alexandra. Come in, we've put the heating on for an hour. How are you?

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um and so the radiator has been on in the kitchen uh just this morning for an hour now we're being very very careful because the price keeps on going up since her maternity leave ended Naomi has had no income but she is reluctant

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She is also unable to get childcare for her two children. The usual: she's a civil servant in the Ministry of Justice, but she and her husband recently had to work part-time to avoid paying for a nanny. Childminder would have cost me 120 pounds. My net pay for a day is about 80 pounds. It doesn't make sense for me to work a job that no longer pays.

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um the usual she's a civil servant in the ministry of justice but she and her husband recently had to work part-time to avoid paying for a nanny child minder would have cost me 120 pounds my net pay for a day is about 80 pounds

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An economic situation that is deteriorating. For the first time in 25 years, Alexandra confesses that she can no longer make ends meet. I'm overdrawn now, and I'm trying to cut things. Well, it makes me very anxious, actually. I know there are people in a much worse situation than me, but I worked so hard for that. And if a woman cannot be a professional and afford to live in a house and have the heating on occasionally when it's cold and to clothe the children, then there's something not right. Is there? Something's not working.

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um and I'm trying to cut things it well it makes me very anxious actually I know there are people in a much worse situation than me but I worked so hard for that and if a woman cannot be a professional and afford to

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A middle class that is starting to tighten its belt, while for the poorest, the situation is already catastrophic. In the northwest of the country lies the poorest town in England, bordering the Irish Sea: Blackpool, a seaside re...

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the situation is already catastrophic in the northwest of the country lies the poorest town in England bordering the Irish sea Blackpool a Seaside Resort built around a replica of the Eiffel Tower that is half the size of the

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original like its big sister it also attracts hordes of tourists every year I'm sure there's some history about who got which one first isn't that yes so did you copy us 18 million visitors every year who come here for the tower but also for the fun

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fairs on the piers the rides and gambling it's a bit like the uh Las Vegas of England really the life of the city is concentrated on a single Street the Golden Mile a Seaside Boulevard with dozens of attractions restaurants and souvenir

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shops it's been operating like this since the middle of the 19th century the first tourists were workers in the mines factories and spinning Mills after the second world war and until the early 1980s Blackpool was a thriving seaside

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resort with beaches that were always crowded the emergence of low-cost Airlines plunged the little town into a long decline allowing britons to fly to sunny beaches on the other side of the world for Blackpool it was the end of

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their golden days today in the city which has one in three jobs linked to the tourism industry people are still dreading the arrival of worst days it's such hard hard to get work here a lot of shops closed down for

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winter and then obviously they reopen but everyone's looking for work constantly on the last days of summer the town hall organizes a large fireworks display on the beach which attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year the last Light before winter

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[Music] lasts for six months and leaves thousands of people homeless a block behind the seafront the real face of the seaside Town slum housing derelict hotels and abandoned shops of the 10 poorest areas in England eight are here in Blackpool

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one of the few lights that shines throughout the winter is Mark butcher's Pizzeria sign a restaurant tour and Pastor who has declared a war on poverty okay guys only about five minutes now all right two evenings a week before the first

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customers arrive Mark 51 opens his restaurant to blackpool's poorest people this evening there are already over 20 of them God I'm bringing the dog in come on come on love you're hey you're welcome as well come on tonight at this place we'll probably

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serve 10 of the community that we're serving will be homeless the rest of the people are just short of money they're probably waiting to get paid they've probably had a big electric bill although they're not feeding themselves a growing phenomenon that doesn't only

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affect the people of Blackpool in the UK over 7 million adults and 2.6 million children struggle to afford food on the menu this evening free pizzas and friendly warmth for many like Becky her husband and their two children the

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restaurant owner's hospitality is a lifesaver because we're homeless at the moment living in temporary accommodations yeah we've met quite a lot of people that have been the same situation never take anything for granted now to fund his generosity Mark has come up

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with an ingenious system in addition to their order ordinary customers at his restaurant can buy a solidarity Pizza in other words a prepaid Meal which will be served free of charge to those in need so if they come here and pay a pizza

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forward they know they're getting a meal so it's it makes you feel secure when you're giving that you're giving to somebody who's going to need a meal and when we serve the pizzas that the customers they know this isn't three

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it's been paid for your pizzas tonight have all been paid for by strangers Mark's system is so successful that his pizza shop has become one of blackpool's leading Charities every week 400 people eat here for free and demand is

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exploding thank you faced with this level of need the restaurant owner has taken it as his mission the big weights on my shoulders because if I don't get the food people they go hungry his pizza oven never stops Mark butcher

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is now the town savior [Applause] yet until a few years ago there was no indication that he would be capable of such a task as a child in Blackpool Mark grew up far from the attractions of the seaside in

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the poorest parts of the town in the middle of the Thatcher years when poverty had already exploded at the time the restaurateur and his family were feared offenders [Music] come on here and we was called The Butchers my surname is Butcher so we was

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called The Butchers you start off with petty crime you're stealing bikes you're robbing cars I'll let you move on you move up the ladder and you go from one stage to another and so that's what happened it's like it's poverty breeds this

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a violent adolescence that was turned upside down when his brother David a drug addict was murdered in a drug deal [Music] I saw my brother die I watched the hell on Earth I lived you know a life of Hell

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really as a young boy growing up and so when I made a I made a choice when I was 33 years of age to change everything following the murder of his brother Mark found faith and became a Christian

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evangelist eighteen years after the tragedy he was a new man but the Good Samaritan is still very much affected by his years of trauma his experience now helps him to understand what the lost souls who knock on his restaurant's door

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are going through tonight two homeless people who have recently arrived in Blackpool are looking for a helping hand Gary and Thomas are in a desperate situation I lost my wife a couple of months ago and I just give up on everything I had

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my own business I had so much a nice house everything and just just couldn't be bothered anymore found myself here and sleeping on the streets and now I'm addicted to heroin I only take it to to mask away the pain of

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living on the streets feel sick you can't think straight unless you've you've had the heroin and then you feel normal you know just take it to feel normal but I think your mum probably need some real help let's go

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and get your coffee let's get you warmed up get by that radiator Mark knows all about the dangers of Halloween at 11 Euros a gram it's very easy to Source especially in Blackpool he believes that Gary and Thomas are in Mortal dangers if

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they spent the night out in early winter the heroin just it's a really deceiving drug because it makes you feel like everything's okay but of course it isn't and they die in the cold they don't even feel the cold you don't meet many 50

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year old heroin addicts most 50 year old heroin addicts are dead in 2021 with over 6 200 overdose deaths the United Kingdom alone accounted for one third of all overdoses in Europe a growing Scourge that hits the poorest

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people hardest Mark's wife Abby calls Blackpool Social Services to try to find emergency accommodation is not likely typical this is a EDT so it's out of hours housing for social services so she's just going to ask you a few questions

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and then obviously see if people can get you somewhere for tonight thank you very much it is yes Blackpool social services do have emergency accommodation but refuse to help the two homeless people as they are not from the area

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[Music] they've said that these two men have got no local connections therefore they are not responsible for them it's old-fashioned policy of just because somebody comes from a different postcodile area why does that mean that we can't help them and all the council

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can offer Us in this dire situation is a travel warrant back to the place that they don't want to be I feel like that just pushed it aside we are in this voice since 2011 the state has cut subsidies

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to municipalities by 50 percent as a result their social services now refuse to help those who cannot prove a local connection this policy has caused the number of homeless people in the country to Jump by 140 percent Gary and Thomas

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strangers to Blackpool are not welcome here fortunately Abby calls upon her own networks and ends up finding them a warm place to sleep I'm so happy I just can't believe it thank you very much so that's all we're doing someone out

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there the owner of a small hotel in the town a woman who suffered from domestic abuse who Mark and Abby helped in the past has agreed to let them have a room for the night oh sweet home yeah boys

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welcome welcome welcome to a bed for the night eh bed in a warm a warm bed isn't it boys a bit of a shower shower warm night I'm stuck for words I really am I can't believe I both things have changed and

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to pass I don't know two two and a half hours this is going to be like heaven thank you very much good night and God bless let's do a little prayer father we just want to get better we just want to

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become better man in Jesus name amen amen come on boys tonight Mark and his wife Abby probably save two lives at least for now it's not just the homeless who are suffering from budget cuts all social benefits in the country have been

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slashed over the last 10 years foreign on the outskirts of Manchester Ashton underlying population 43 000. this town was the very first in the UK to experiment with Universal Credit a single welfare payment that merges six benefits from unemployment benefits to

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disability pensions including housing benefits this was in 2013 under David Cameron's conservative government and the impact has been disastrous across the UK starting with Ashton the former cotton weaving capital of the UK which has been hit hard by

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de-industrialization the reform was denounced by a local activist Charlotte Hughes a journalist whose inflammatory articles inspired a famous film director that's myself and Ken Loach the writer and the filmmaker can they communicate with many use parts of the

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script to the film part of the film based on some things that Hydra Hydro about at the job center the film I Daniel Blake which was awarded the Palm Door at Kun describes the grotesque struggle of unemployed people against

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job centers [Music] [Music] that word is the most important thing to me not about me it's about what they want and what they think you know and the way that the government treats them this is what happened to Charlotte's

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daughter Eleanor six months pregnant the Ashton underlying job center asked her to do community service if she wanted to keep her benefits before suspending her payments deeming her unable to work due to her condition ever since Charlotte has been at war with the Department of

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Labor [Music] thank you don't be surprised if they found the police so every Thursday for the past eight years Charlotte and her youngest daughter talula have been protesting at the Ashton job center since the reform of Universal Credit the job center is no

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longer only deal with the unemployed they also distribute benefits for pregnant women families the disabled and housing allowances a sort of One-Stop shop a must for all those who need social assistance to live [Music] numbers on now it's awful

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Charlotte isn't allowed in so she hands out leaflets at the door should I collie float and would you like a leaflet darling it'll help in this leaflet a method to help them challenge the job centers decisions in court

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[Music] Salia good luck good luck the most important thing is is that when you make a claim from the job center and if you've got to have to go to tribunal which often is the case you've got all

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the proof that you've got all the evidence what Charlotte denounces is the policy of arbitrarily sanctions left to the side Judgment of the councilor which creates an environment of unease this man for example was struck off after missing a simple phone call from the job

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center [Music] I can't afford to pay my mobile phone bill they cutting me off no question if you don't answer a phone call to them you get called yeah they don't give monkeys if you've got any money in your

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struggle all they care about is you doing what they tell you yeah yeah and you don't do what they're telling you do that's it they cut your money off arbitrary bands and there's more some decisions by job centers are set to be

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made without taking into account the health status of the recipients like this man with a crutch I see my leg Yeah Jesus this is because of the toll their doctors said you can go I've got a bulging disc on my

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spine and I've got a leg that's had an if operation and it's ripped it apart because of the gold I have three years of my life I'm 43 pounds a week as a disabled man I can't feed myself there's

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no clue about how these people have to love to survive they've got no clue about the medical conditions they're employed to make them fit for work it's estimated that since its introduction in Ashton nine years ago Universal Credit

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and its new rules of allocation have forced 1.5 million people into poverty one thing is certain since the different forms of social assistance were merged into one the number of food banks in the country has exploded ten years ago there

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were about 50 of them today there are more than 2 800. and among them Mark the pizza chef with the big heart in addition to the traditional hot meals he continues to offer in his restaurant he now offers

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emergency bags containing food for several days all of these bags are for cooking these blue bags are for people who are genuinely homeless on the street they have no cooking facilities people can also help themselves to hygiene products in England one in five

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people can no longer afford them all these items have been donated by companies or individuals donations that are sometimes surprising local local man died at his funeral they had all of this food a lot of food was left over rather than

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throw the food away they brought it to us a welcome donation as when meals are distributed Mark's Food Bank gets really full what's shocking is that this Reliance on Charities was planned at the highest level of government [Music]

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2010 during the peak of former Prime Minister David Cameron's austerity policies with this reform of Universal Credit the conservative leader backed massive Cuts in social welfare according to the NGO Human Rights Watch benefits for families and children were cut by 44

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so to make the pill go down easier Cameron invented the concept of big Society [Music] the big Society is about a huge culture change where people in their everyday lives in their homes in their neighborhoods in their workplaces don't

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always turn to officials local authorities or central government for answers to the problems they face but instead feel both free and powerful enough to help themselves and their own communities last spring while the former prime minister was on a trip to Paris we

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wanted to take the opportunity to ask him about his record on social policies a few days before our interview David Cameron proudly posted on Twitter pictures of him helping out at a food bank a post that was heavily criticized

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notably by this opposition MP [Music] in the UK lots of people have said that the big Society was a cover to Authority measures now I that's all that's often said I think it's simply not true uh whoever had been prime minister in 2010

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would have had to take difficult decisions I don't deny that and actually we reduced the budget deficit by two-thirds we ended up with the fastest growing economy in the G7 we created two million jobs a million more businesses

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you know we recovered the UK economy the priority increased no well that's not true I think look there has been an increase in the use of food banks and part of that is because the previous government before me they did not allow

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um the job centers to refer people to food banks they didn't want the bad publicity I think that is bad you know if people need help you should direct them to where there is help available and my government let that happen

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David Cameron is convinced that his policy has stimulated the work of food banks in the country something for citizens to be thankful for view far removed from the economic realities faced by millions of britons foreign food bank tonight

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Graham an army veteran [Music] all my life Royal Marines civil serving Ken brassy office you know a lot of places have worked so I'm not gonna end up sleeping rough so I'd like to work myself to a sufficient standard that I could

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actually stay in the property there were no signs to predict that the 58 year old Scotsman would find himself in poverty overnight just before the pandemic Graham Wilson was a Craftsman in the building trade but due to covet

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he went bankrupt and moved to Blackpool to try and get back on his feet [Music] this is basically what they call a studio flat which is open plan living room and bedroom is the one place catching it out obviously

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in his former life Graham could earn the equivalent of 2 000 Euros a month he now survives on 400 euros in unemployment benefit after paying his rent he has nothing left to feed himself and his dog and even less to heat his home the

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British have coined the phrase to describe this dilemma which affects 16 million people heat or eat I had never understood the term heat or eat sure you've got a Twitter you do Graham has decided that Comfort is not

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an issue it's 15 degrees here during the day and eight degrees at night since six o'clock this morning body warmer oh sorry jumper and t-shirt so that I could leave that fire off it's a small fan heater it doesn't really

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heat the room I believe it or not five of us that's 10 pounds Graham knows his precise electricity consumption as he has a meter that works with a rechargeable key [Music] energy suppliers would come out and what they called a prepaid meter

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which means that the Turner just to pay for his electricity before he actually receives it he had no choice when customers have trouble paying their bills on time energy suppliers automatically install these prepaid meters four million British households are now

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equipped with them a few days later we meet up with Gran his Mito is at Zelo so he has to go to the local supermarket to buy some electricity thank you [Music] can you talk my electricity out for me

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please thank you I would like 20 please thank you thank you at 20 pounds it will only last Ram four days while electricity is already expensive for everyone in England electricity sold in this way is charged 10 percent more than with a conventional

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meter why if I'm paying them in advance why have I got to pay them more than the people who are quite wealthy quite affluent and that's the lowest class people and they have nothing they get no concessions nothing

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whatsoever for now Graham is still managing to pay for his electricity but winter is coming and in the north of England it gets particularly harsh such unstable conditions can have a serious impact on health [Music] on the Irish sea the port of Fleetwood

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population 25 000. long prosperous thanks to the fishing industry but today rather Sinister the annual per capita income is three thousand four hundred pounds below the national average and life expectancy here is only 70 years 10 years less than

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in the rest of the country the cause a cocktail of multiple pathologies and addictions that affect the poorest the British have a stark expression for this the ship life syndrome okay depress yeah I saw perfectly okay at the municipal Health Center Dr

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Spencer has been seeing the worst of this for 30 years people that we see have multiple health problems and and you'll see that in in in disadvantaged communities with poverty people live with multiple long-term conditions so you'll have diabetes heart disease

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you've had a stroke that the rates of depression are twice the England average the functioning of the English Public Health System the NHS in these destitute areas doesn't help even though it's free you have to wait an average of 13 weeks

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to get an appointment with a GP hi Lisa come this way but that's not all it's so crowded that consultations are rushed even for the seriously ill like Lisa who has cancer and a lung infection depress again you're really Wheezy

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aren't you really Wheezy the rule here is one consultation per condition so it doesn't matter if the patient has other symptoms but Dr Spencer must stop there in the UK the length of consultations is defined by law and is one of the shortest in the

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industrialized world see 10 minutes includes reading the notes seeing the patient writing the notes all of that in 10 minutes and again if you noticed the main problem with Lisa was her infection but she also wanted to talk

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about her hearing and uh so lots of people will come in and say as well as well as well as well Dr Spencer will write Lisa a prescription but will not be able to examine her ears like many of his

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colleagues he has felt discouraged and almost gave up several times but the death of one of his young alcoholic patients motivates him to keep going I said to him um if if you don't stop drinking it's going to kill you

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and and he said to me he he said I know you're trying to help me but it's not the thought of dying that stresses me it's the thought of living a tragically common story according to research suicides overdoses and

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cirrhosis are largely due to the lack of social and economic prospects for a long time Dr Spencer tried to deal with it with drugs but in vain so inspired by colleagues he began to prescribe rather unexpected treatments at the Fleetwood Stadium the doctor put

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his method into practice to fight against a life syndrome on the field rather old man not necessarily athletic who play Walking football many have come here on Dr Spencer's order who has prescribed these walking football sessions the doctor works with a

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professional coach [Music] okay fellas Gathering quickly please remember walking football for touch non-contact enjoy yourselves fellas Dr Spencer is so convinced of the therapeutic benefits of these hobbies that he has founded a charity offering 77 different activities that improve

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health from yoga to gardening to singing I've seen lots of people come to activities like this and over time can stop taking some of their medication you become more active you become more engaging with other people your your

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self-confidence improves uh you know look they're you know they're give me the ball give me the ball let me play Let Me join in that that's that's all because of self-confidence is improving for James these walking football sessions are a savior after the long

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trauma of his wife's death well it moves much better where before our very close you know I just shied away I went in Corners didn't want to meet people but now I can talk to anybody as for Pete 73 years old he has lost 20

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kilos and can no longer imagine his life without walking football I've had heart issues and this is a great sport that you can still play What Would you would be your health if you were not playing football I don't think I'd probably be there yet

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I seriously don't yeah I don't think it'd be on this planet a glimmer of hope in Dr Spencer's ongoing battle to stop the poorest from dying too young as leading politicians begin to express alarm at the health consequences after years of hostility

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[Music] in London at the palace of Westminster the British Parliament some accused the conservatives in power of having caused the deaths of hundreds of people [Music] opposition labor MP Debbie Abrams for example is sounding the alarm in front

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of an almost deserted chamber this is a scandal it's a scandal these are British citizens who would die as a result of policies implemented by this government the overall of the welfare system is believed to have killed at least 150

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people according to a BBC investigation despite this all requests for a parliamentary inquiry by Debbie Abrams have gone unanswered that we don't know how many people have taken their lives have died as a consequence of this this is why we need

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this independent inquiry and I've been pushing for this for a number of years and I'm not going to to give up the MP knows some of the families of these welfare victims personally and has been following them for years

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like Philippe day a 27 year old mother in 2019 after 30 administrative errors she saw her benefits divided by four and ended her life this is Errol Errol died of starvation he had schizophrenia then the department for working pensions knew

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that and um basically sent him letters to show that he he needed to attend assessments and when he didn't reply because he was so mentally unwell they just stopped his support he was four and a half Stone when he died

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this is how the state is treating vulnerable people that just shouldn't happen extreme cases tragic consequences of the state's disengagement from social welfare policies this disengagement has also taken its toll on another earlier public transport in the 1980s the Thatcher government

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launched a massive privatization of the sector as a result more than a quarter of the bus routes were abolished particularly in the countryside rural England has a population of 10 million one in four are over 65. the majority of

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them are one hour away from the closest doctor this isolation was made even worse when the bus routes disappeared on the border with Scotland and Cumbria citizens have found a solution this blue minibus that travels the Country Roads is now the only Link

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Between The Villages of the country volunteers keep the lines running behind the wheels this morning catriona a retired civil servant of three years also on board as Neil one of the managers of fell Runner the charity that operates the bus

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good morning can I help you with that you all right by operating exclusively with volunteers the association manages to keep the ticket price at two pounds just enough to pay for fuel and maintenance with salary drivers the operating costs

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would be too high and the line would cease to run I'm a volunteer I don't get paid anything and I'd absolutely love it and I think it's a really important thing to do for the community to be honest

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we have 25 volunteers after a quite a long training program of eight weeks they've passed all their tests and they'll be let loose with the passengers in the next few weeks with four mini buses like this one fell

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Runner serves a region the size of Luxembourg and transports 10 000 clients a year mainly elderly people who depend on public transport and on the solidarity of their community I'm going to visit my daughter so without this bus what would you have

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done I couldn't go I couldn't go because I don't drive so it's good yes volunteers also play a role that goes beyond simply transporting people this morning Neil is worried as an old lady is missing I shall just go and check

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that she's okay all right okay that's find new products [Applause] oh dear good morning good morning I did phone to say I wouldn't oh I'm so sorry to have bothered you the drivers are all gentlemen and ladies and I'm very very pleased to be able to

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use it not coming today once a case uh two three years ago where there was a another passenger who we knocked at the door and they didn't answer and we knew they had a medical condition and we called the police and

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the person was in a coma and we rushed them to hospital so we were glad on that occasion that we knocked at the door Neil and catriona's work is crucial for people living in isolated locations across England there are reportedly over

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6 000 bus routes run by volunteers but how sustainable are these measures how long will citizens be able to make up for the shortcoming of a disengaging state and how many jobs could be created if the volunteers were paid

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[Music] in the destitute Seaside town of Blackpool Graham has finally managed to find odd jobs on building sites but it's not enough to cope with the approaching winter and solving Energy prices instead of it costing me 20 pounds a

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week it was called me 40 pounds a week but because of my situation I could not afford to keep putting money money money into the meter today however it's 21 degrees in its flat and the television has been on all day as Graham has made a

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radical decision [Music] this won't be broadcast on British television will it will be oh well it doesn't matter yeah I have bypassed it so my meter is now not connected to the glass tall so it's not registering it's not costing

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me anything but at the moment I'm basically stealing electricity which is illegal and for me to do that is disgusting my father was a police officer for 30 years and the fact that I've actually had to do that

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as horrific to me good to go that is going to work with him belong you stay goodbye Graham's situation has improved he works for 80 pounds a day and has found an employer who regularly calls on his Services it was again A

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Good Samaritan as there are many in England who want to give him a chance Danny Berber 28 years old a small construction company owner chose to move to the poorest city in England to create jobs how's your morning been

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I apologies in there a need for employment so it's one of the biggest reasons why I employed him she may be old but they'll let Edge be a factor I think in this game it can it can do

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the work he can do it Denny employs three people he specializes in renovation work and there's a lot to do in England one out of four privately rented homes are considered unsatisfactory according to official figures today Danny and Graham

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go to an elderly woman's home with her disabled son to redo the kitchen floor foreign pensions are massively low these days Denny makes a big effort for his poorer clients he asks them to pay for the materials but funds the labor himself

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this morning it's not just a company manager who is showing solidarity today is a free day for Daniel you need to reverse the mentality and look at what you can give instead of what you can take admirable dedication

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the big Society wanted by former Prime Minister David Cameron seems to have become a reality but at what cost Danny and Graham gave half a day's voluntary labor to this project a nice gesture but not without consequences at the small time boss's home Francis

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his wife is worried she looks after their two children and the company's accounts and they just received some bad news opening balance you owe 500 pounds Denny's business finances are in the red and he needs to take urgent action

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day precious so let's have a look at what we should pay first we need to do this by the 24th if we manage to get this other job hopefully it'll be like a few days where it won't do it takes a

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massive hit on us as a family and us as a business and this is one of the reasons why we're in the position that we're in I think a lot of the times we've had to learn to be a bit more like

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separate sometimes like we have to make money on these this work so we have to start to quote more for jobs but it is hard because especially in Blackpool a catch-22 how do you raise your prices while trying to help the poorest in

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England's most deprived City and we will not give up until we know we cannot we physically emotionally financially 100 and we can't do it while the viability of Danny's projects is in jeopardy the side of the seaside Town blackpool's

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most famous Pizza Chef Mark butcher has come up with a new idea to help those in need [Music] for fifteen thousand pounds he bought this old double decker bus this is it Julia the big red nightbot the first time

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you've seen it in it properly with Julia and all the other employees of the restaurant he's going to transform it into a mobile emergency shelter for homeless people and victims of domestic abuse a one hundred thousand pound project half financed by donations from

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local benefactors we've been to see the council we went through ask them to get some help and they they never really offered us anything nothing at all not a not a single penny so rejected by the authorities and desperate to make ends

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meet Mark had an idea say today we have the chance you know and it's going to go along there Paul Wallace so it's all going to be wrapped with the advertising awnings he will sell advertising space to businesses in

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Blackpool once again Mark is relying on local Goodwill to tackle social inequality [Music] but this is going to help the community this is going to be a game changer for the community not just the homeless people this is going to be a game

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changer for the whole of our community here in Blackpool every year one in 10 citizens is involved in a charity the country has no shortage of hands to fight poverty but at what cost [Music]

Topics:UK povertyworking poorenergy crisisDon't Pay UKausterityfood banksinflationcivil disobediencesocial inequalitycost of living

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