A new report from Christians Against Poverty (CAP) has dropped the bombshell that people in the South East are, on average, £14,000 in debt - a figure that would take roughly 10 years to repay, assuming no unexpected expenses like, say, living.
Take Gaynor Lake from Woking, who initially contacted CAP for help with heating issues and watched her debts snowball to a cool £26,000. Her gas bill was, rather inconveniently, higher while she tried to heat her home - a cruel twist that will surprise exactly no one who has ever paid a utility bill. CAP says this level of debt would typically take around 20 years to repay, which is about the time it takes for the government to promise to fix it.
A government spokesperson, however, struck a chipper tone, claiming their efforts are “turning the tide on poverty.” They noted household incomes have risen 5% in real terms, about 100,000 fewer children are in deep material poverty, and food bank usage has fallen. They also touted a “landmark Child Poverty Strategy” that will lift 550,000 children out of poverty by 2030 - presumably by then, Gaynor will have finished paying off her gas bill.
For now, Gaynor has a Debt Relief Order, which is essentially a financial reset button - the adult equivalent of a do-over in Monopoly. She’s carefully managing her budget and regaining control, which is more than can be said for her old heating system.