In Ñspel: The Observer view on fuel poverty measures freezing out poorest Britons

Washing hangs outside to dry on a fence of a home in November. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty
S’xesiv Cnsrṿtiv ćanslrz hv irodd ɖ valy v ɖ fînanśl seftinet aveḷbl fr lo-peid peṛnts n dsebld ppl. Foṭgraf: Crisṭfr Frloñ/Geti

Ɖ Obzrvr vy on fylpoṿti meźrz frizñ ǎt purist Brítnz

(Transcription of an Observer editorial of 27 Nov. 2022)

Ny anaḷsis rvilz ɖ līst aflụnt nīd rjnt guvnmnt s’port ɖs wintr

Súnde 27 Nvmbr 2022

Ɖs yir wl g dǎn az a yir v hardśp fr so mni ppl: 2022 bròt spîcñ eṇjibilz n record levlz v infleśn ɖt hv irodd ppl’z incmz. Bt az formr prîm̦inistr Gordn Brǎn wornz in tde’z Obzrvr, nxt yir wl b hardr stl n hardist fr lo-incm hǎsholdz, includñ les aflụnt pnśnrz, lo-peid peṛnts n ɖer ćildṛn n ppl wɖ dis’biḷtiz.

Ɖs z ɖ rzult v Britn’z rseśn, fōrcast bî ɖ Banc v Ñgḷnd t last tū yirz, n eṇjibilz ɖt r fōrcast t cntiny t rîz az guvnmnt s’port wɖ eṇjicosts fōlz. Fṛm nxt Epril, ɖ guvnmnt’s eṇjiprîs gaṛnti wl bcm les jenṛs, capñ ɖ aṿrij bil at £3,000 rɖr ɖn £2,500 a yir n ɖ yṇvrsl £400 wrʈ v s’port ɖt wz peid t ol hǎsholdz in wintr 2022 wl b wɖdrwn. T ofset ɖs rdux́n, ɖ guvnmnt hz incrist ɖ levl v tarġtd s’port at ɖoz in rsit v mīnz-tstd beṇfits: ol pnśnrz n ɖoz rsivñ dis’biḷtibeṇfits wl gt £300 n £150, az ɖe dd last yir, n ppl on mīnz-tstd beṇfits wl gt a wn-of pemnt v £900, p fṛm £650 last yir. So ɖr z les s’port t g rnd, bt it z mor tarġtd on lo-incm hǎsholdz.

Bt az Brǎn hîlîts in ny anaḷsis, ɖs wl stl līv xtrordnṛli hî numbrz v vulnṛbl faṃliz xpozd t fylpoṿti, dfînd az hǎsholdz peyñ 10% or mor v ɖer incm on eṇjibilz ć yir. Sevn in 10 pnśnrz r fōrcast t b xpirịnsñ fylpoṿti best on ɖs meźr bî nxt Epril, rîzñ t 96% v lon-peṛnt faṃliz wɖ tū or mor ćildṛn n 85% v cuplz wɖ ʈri or mor ćildṛn. Olmst 4 miłn faṃliz wl nīd t b spendñ jst undr a ʈrd v ɖer incm on eṇji t cīp worm, a cmplitli unsstenbl propziśn gvn ɖ costs v hǎzñ, fūd n uɖr isnślz.

Ɖ rīzn z ɖt, dspt ɖ guvnmnt mcñ eḟts t mc ɖ smōlr amǎnt v s’port on ofr mor tarġtd twdz purr hǎsholdz, it z a vri imprisîs we v gtñ s’port t ɖ hǎsholdz ɖt nīd it ɖ most, n līvz ǎt mni v ɖ hardist-up faṃliz. For in 10 v ɖ purist fifʈ v hǎsholdz r nt in rsit v mīnz-tstd beṇfits, so d nt īvn qoḷfî fr ɖ £900 top-up. Yzñ mīnz-tstd beṇfits az a pasport fr ɖs pemnt mīnz ɖt f a faṃli gz ovr ɖ beṇfitsʈreśhold bî jst £1, ɖe wl lūz ɖ £900 in its intîṛti. Last, eṇji ys z hayr ɖn aṿrij in purr hǎsholdz ɖt r larjr, or ẃr ppl liv in purli insyletd, bad-qoḷti hǎzñ – mor lîcli t b ɖ ces fr ppl livñ in poṿti in ɖ frst ples.

Ɖ ǎtcm z ɖt, īvn tecñ intu acǎnt ɖ mīnz-tstd s’portpacij, anaḷsis bî ɖ Reẓluśn Fǎndeśn śoz ɖt haf v hǎsholdz in ɖ purist fifʈ v ɖ incmdistṛbyśn wl stl b fesñ eṇjibilz v mor ɖn £1,000 mor ɖn ɖe dd in 2022. Ɖs xtra £1,000 z nt muni ɖe cn aford; so mni v ɖz indivijlz r olrdi livñ in imposbl srcmstansz, fesñ ćôsz btwn cīpñ ɖer homz worm or ptñ fūd on ɖ tebl fr ɖer ćildṛn, forst t rlî on fūdbancs bcz ɖe c’nt aford besic isnślz. It z ɖ purist hǎsholdz hu fes sm v ɖ hîist prîsz az wel, az a rzult v hvñ t rlî on prīpeid eṇjimītrz n t śop in smōlr n mor xpnsiv fūdśops bcz ɖe hv no trnsport t gt t ćīpr sūṗmarcits. Ɖ Reẓluśn Fǎndeśn hz esṭmetd ɖt ɖ purist 10ʈ v hǎsholdz r nǎ fesñ an ifctiv infleśnret v 12.5%, cmperd wɖ 9.6% fr ɖ rićist 10ʈ, ɖ bigist gap in ɖz rets sins 2006 ẃn ɖz meźrz wr c’lectd.

Ɖ prîm̦inistr n ćanslr wd no dǎt argy it z ǎt v ɖer handz; ɖe wd clem t hv dn az mć az ɖe cn gvn ɖ grim ic̣nomic srcmstansz ɖ cuntri fesz n ɖ crîsis in eṇjiprîsz cōzd bî Ruśa’z wor in Ycren. Ɖs z nt creḍbl fr ʈri rīznz. Frst, s’xesiv Cnsrṿtiv ćanslrz hv irodd ɖ valy v ɖ fînanśl seftinet aveḷbl fr lo-peid peṛnts n dsebld ppl, bî cutñ taxcredits n beṇfits ovr ɖ last deced ẃl gvñ awe xpnsiv taxcuts ɖt hv dispṛporśṇtli beṇfitd betr-of hǎsholdz. Ɖs hz md lo-incm hǎsholdz mć les fînanṣ́li rziłnt ovr ɖ loñ trm. Secnd, az Brǎn argyz, ɖr r obvịs sorsz v xtra reṿny aveḷbl t ɖ ćanslr, Jeṛmi Hunt, includñ taxñ nondomz n incrist taxz on bancrz’ boṇsz, huz rsits cd b ćanld az xtra s’port twdz ɖ purist hǎsholdz nxt yir. Ʈrd, Britn’z dredfl groʈprospects r nt jst a product v globl hedwindz, bt v 12 yirz v Cnsrṿtiv ic̣nomic poḷsi: a fełr t invst in prodctivti-būstñ meźrz sć az scilz n infṛstrucćr n ɖ îdịlojicl psyt v ɖ hardist form v Brexit ɖt hz left Britn – n evriwn hu livz in it – cnsidṛbli purr fr ɖ loñ trm.

Ɖ sićueśn fesñ Britn’z līst aflụnt faṃliz nxt yir z an ic̣nomic imrjnsi. Unls ɖ guvnmnt inṭvinz swiftli t incris levlz v s’port fṛm nxt Epril, mor ćildṛn, pnśnrz n ppl wɖ dis’biḷtiz wl b livñ in abject fylpoṿti, in frizñ homz, wɖ loñ-trm consiqnsz fr ɖer hlʈ. Ɖ guvnmnt mst hīd Gordn Brǎn’z wornñ, n act.

Instroduction to Ñspel

"House by the Railroad," Edward Hopper, 1925

05/02/2024

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