Household poverty stats show that Labour has failed Wales

New figures released by the Welsh Government today indicate that Wales continues to have among the highest levels of household poverty across the UK.

Wales tops the UK table, with 23% of all individuals living in poverty, against a UK average of 21% – whilst 29% of children in Wales are found to be living in poverty, after housing costs are accounted for.

According to the dataset, an individual is considered to be in relative poverty if they are living in a household with an income below 60% of the UK median income in the year in question.

Responding to the findings, Welsh Conservative spokesperson for Communities – Mark Isherwood – said:

“These findings are further evidence of Labour’s failure to deliver material improvements in living standards, or to tackle the root causes of poverty.

“It’s also evidence of a failure on the Welsh Labour Government’s part to protect the most vulnerable families in Wales. Poverty rates in Wales remain stubbornly high, and Labour must take the bulk of the responsibility for that having been in power for 17 years here.

“Despite claiming to stand for social justice, Labour have given Wales the highest child poverty and lowest prosperity levels in the UK, the highest worklessness levels in Britain and a housing crisis they refuse to acknowledge and are therefore impotent to resolve.”