by Our News Desk

A THIRD of Britain’s population experienced poverty at some time between 2011 and 2014, Office for National (ONS) Statistics revealed yesterday.

The overall poverty rate in 2014 was, at 16.8 per cent of the population, 12th highest amng 27 other European Union countries.

The rate is calculated on the number of people whose annual income after tax stands at less than 60 per cent of the national average — £9,956 for a single person, £20,907 for a family of two adults and two children.

ONS statistician Richard Tonkin said: “Over a fouryear period it’s actually surprising how high the proportion of the population is whose incomes slip below that.

“In the UK, compared with other countries, people have a relatively high risk of slipping into relative low-income poverty.”

Women are more at risk of experiencing longer-term poverty — 9.8 per cent of women and 7.7 per cent of men in persistent poverty (for three or more years) between 2011 and 2014.

Poverty tended to be “transient” for many people in the UK and was strongly linked to the labour market, with those finding employment having a greater chance of escaping, Mr Tonkin said.

A Downing Street spokesman said the government is determined to tackle poverty and its causes, particularly through work.

But Oxfam’s poverty programme head Rachel Orr said: “The fact that such a large proportion of the British population have recently experienced poverty proves that getting people into work isn’t the route out of poverty that it should be.

“Just under two thirds of children and working-age adults in poverty are in working households.

“The government needs a clear and coherent strategy to tackle poverty or cuts to social security will see poverty rates reach even greater heights by 2020.”