The U.K. in 2019 -

I do not accept - children have not eaten for two days, if true the parents should be held guilty of child neglect .

I agree with Day6 about bad parenting

Some good news this morning this morning for those private tenants who can be evicted at 2 months notice with no appeal..

The government is recognising the fact that people are unable to build family life because the severe instability section 21 notices - allowing no appeal by renters - bring to families and so intend to consult on getting rid of this and replace it with a section 8 eviction notice which does allow appeal.
More than 4 million households - 11 million people- should benefit from this if they eventually come into law.

Let’s hope the government expedites this.

The citizens advice research shows that 46% of tenants who have made a formal complaint about poor or dangerous condition of their rented property, found themselves on the street with a section 21 notice within 6 months of th3 complaint.

This change comes at the back of a major campaign by Generation Rent which is backed by the Labour Party, the Greens, a 50000 strong petition and the backing of 13 LAs.

Yes, it is a "Tory-bashing" thread because the Conservatives have been in power since 2010 and during that time have, asWhitewave2 and others have already detailed, done enormous damage to the material structure of the country, its social cohesion and the physical and mental health of a significant number of its inhabitants, including children.

There have been many Labour and Corbyn-bashing threads and Labour is not even in power. Why shouldn't posters direct some criticism at May and her government who are in charge andwho are responsible for the mess that this country is in and the ineffectual way in which Brexit has been dealt with.

There are often people on these type of threads who like to present themselves as fairly politically neutral. However, they invariably seem to be very favourably disposed towards the policies of parties on the right whilst being highly critical of parties on the left.

I have always stated my political leanings are to the left and I support Labour. I don't present myself as "neutral" but I do try and back up my opinions with facts.

As for the Tommy Robinson-loving UKIP and the new Brexit party - if the British people see this as the answer to our problems, heaven help us.

Trisher
I agree with your post, but wouldnt it be better if all children received free school meals removing the stigma. If child support payments were redirected then those who didnt really need this allowance would be helping to feed nutritious meals to all children and removing the need for (often unhealthy) packed lunches. It would also teach all children what well balanced meals are. Not just Pizzas and McD's.
I do also wish domestic science/home economics was reintroduced as a mainstream subject in schools. The ability to be able to create nutritious meals from basics has for a lot of families been lost.
I cringe when I see those money saving programmes with parents who seem proud that they do not cook and spend hundreds on junk food.

Children are arriving at school, tired, hungry, angry and confused

And why is this?

Tired?

No bedtime routine and rules? TV time or X Box game-playing not controlled by parents?

Hungry?

Cheap food like potatoes, cereal, tinned vegetables, beans, etc are filling - IF parents can be bothered to buy and cook them. It is much easier to leave a packet of biscuits lying around, or crisps.

Angry?

Why? Are they witnessing violence at home, or on screens? Do they lack self control? Can the parents explain why?

Confused?

Bewildered because they lack good role models in their parents, whose job it is to explain confusing things to little minds? (If they can be bothered.)

We have stopped pointing fingers, and judging haven't we? However, in the case of child neglect we bloody well should do more of it rather than using the cop-out that lack of funds equates with child neglect.

"There, there." and let's throw more money at the problem parents is not the solution.

It is shameful that children are born to rotten, selfish and uncaring parents, who cannot and will not prioritise the well being, disciplining and nurturing of their children. or prioritise how their benefits are spent. We live in a welfare state and despite Tory-bashing, it still exists and there are still advocates and agencies and funds for those with least.

The children are the victims, of crap parenting. Anyone would think the government of the day is responsible for rearing every single child born in the UK.

Can we start by DEMANDING responsible parenting? I appreciate it's not that easy, but it's a start. I know life can knock us down and keep us down - been there - but we do have to take some responsibility for ourselves unless we are sick and/or disabled/old. Being poor is not an excuse for child neglect.

It might contribute but a child presenting as angry, confused, hungry and tired has problems which its parent has to explain.

Well when I was at school in the 50s school meals were provided free for poor children even in the school holidays. I remember because some of the children down our street were going in for their lunch and I asked my mum about it. As regards children not having eaten for 2 days. There have always been people who cannot budget and who struggle to manage so that over the weekend they cannot feed their children and a child will go from Friday school dinner to Monday without a real meal. There may be the remains of a packet of biscuits, some left over chips or other bits but no real meal. When I was teaching it wasn't unusual to have children who had had no breakfast or perhaps only a couple of biscuits. Many schools started breakfast clubs to help them.
It's a combination of both Joelsnan if you cannot pay your fuel bills a meter will be installed and you will be charged more, even though you couldn't afford the first price. You will be unable to access large supermarkets because you have no transport, so you will use the corner shop which will charge you more. You will probably have a loan you need to pay off and some of your income will go on that. Once you are in the vicious circle it's hard to get out.

the child poverty issues that go hand in hand with neglect.

Poverty does not go hand in hand with neglect.

Being poor does not make you an uncaring person. Being poor does not make you a bad parent. Worrying about money does not make you neglect the welfare of your children. Most parents instinctively put their children first, no matter their circumstances.

Many of us knew abject poverty as we grew up, which was fairly common after the war. Our parents had nothing, but they didn't neglect us or drag us up, the fate some wretched children suffer today.

Bad, uncaring parents exist, selfish adults who put themselves first thrive in the society in which we live now. Most may be from impoverished backgrounds, but lack of nurture is down to bad parenting.

Going without an X Box won't kill children, nor will a poor diet, or new clothes, but lack of concern from neglectful parents just might. Child neglect is a form of abuse.

Anniebach
I have said for a while now that either a percentage or the whole amount of child support benefit should be redirected to providing all school children with free school meals. Two nutritious meals. This would at least ensure that the money is spent where it is intended...on the children.
I really cannot understand in this day and age that we have hungry children. There were many poor families in 50's and probably before, my family being one of them but I never went dirty or hungry nor were most in my village. My husband was eldest of seven brought up by a deserted mother, they were so poor but they all were clean and well fed and incidentally all went into sucessful careers. Cheap cuts and plenty of bread and no foodbanks. Is it true poverty or inability to manage families and money?

Is this a Tory-bashing thread? I read the first two posts and decided it as.

I am no fan of the Conservatives after selling out regarding Brexit, which Labour has done as well. Both our main political parties are a disgrace and I do hope the OP doesn't imagine a new party in power (like Labour, perchance?) is going to transform the country into some sort of socialist Utopia.

Most have us have lived under Labour governments and surprise, surprise, there have been no long lasting changes in the last few decades.

We just swing back and forth between two parties with REAL problems not being tackled or solved, despite the rhetoric.

Dare I say, bring on the Brexit Party, if only to shake up the pathetic punch in Westminster, both left and right, who are an utter disgrace.

There are children living in poverty , but I heard today teachers are saying some children come to school not having eaten for two days , surely not

WW2
So, based in the fact that we are building more houses and demolishing fewer, there are more people than houses available. What can be the cause?
Whilst I do feel private rentals are often too high, I also feel that the government have a lot to answer for. Until recently those receiving benefits had their rent paid directly from DSS (or whatever name) to their landlord, this ensured that these folk at least maintained a roof over their heads. Now the money goes to the recipient who, unless very frugal and astute might consider something else is more important to spend the rent money on. If the money wasnt there the tempation wouldnt be there either.
We seriously need money management lessons for our youth, for so long so many (not all I emphasise), have received just about everything they desire, their parents going into debt to shower them with their desires and unfortunately when they reach adulthood and try to go it alone they fail because they have no money sense or work ethic.

Whitewavemark2 thanks for starting this discussion. There are some horribly judgemental and ill informed comments here. This country has always had its share of 'feckless' parents and it always will. However, the austerity approach has done nothing to address the child poverty issues that go hand in hand with neglect.
The closure of Sure Start centres, services for substance misusers, people with mental health problems, the probation/police/social work/medical services all contribute to the child neglect.
We are a wealthy country. We should invest in our children and work with vulnerable parents. The comment up thread that suggests asian mothers who are 'kept indoors and don't learn English' therefore contribute nothing to society is both shocking and inaccurate. I've met a number of women who would fit that category. Their contribution includes children who grew up and became doctors, lawyers, pharmacists, bus drivers, physiotherapists and so on.

Analysis on the inconclusive evidence about house prices and immigration.

fullfact.org/immigration/have-house-prices-risen-because-immigrants/

An example of what seems an attractive explanation for the housing crises. But if you dig just below the surface it is easy to show how incorrect the assumptions in the statement are.

fullfact.org/immigration/new-house-every-four-minutes-due-immigration/

petra thank you for the link, I shall read their web page with interest.

However I do have sone reservations as I understand that migration watch was formed specifically in order to argue against immigration, and consistently argues to restrict immigration.

Of course nothing wrong with a type of lobby group pushing its ideology, but I really would prefer more academically produced evidence as it is generally unbiased and more scientifically produced.

This might explain (housing)https://www.migrationwatchuk.org/key-topics/housing

As a child I lived in a well-maintained council house with complete security. The right-to-buy programmes bought popularity for the government at the expense of local councils, who could not replace theit stock.
The next step was for these houses to be sold on under buy-to-let schemes, often putting them into the hands of speculators with no interest in their tenants.

craftyone
Marketing to the gullible often results in the most expensive phone contract at the detriment of rent. Acrylic nails more important than a meal and caterpillar eyebrows more important than clothes.The latest trainers rather than school shoes.
Is our generation to blame by allowing some of our children to have a sense of entitlement which they do not always show to their children?

"Teachers are reporting worsening signs of child poverty in our classrooms.
Children are arriving at school, tired, hungry, angry and confused."

Nothing of course to do with the breakdown of the traditional 2 parent family. Get real, povery was far far worse in the 50s but parents tried harder

On so many fronts we have disposed of the baby along with the bath water.

What skills do we have left? It's embarrassing to observe centuries old crafts being kept alive in other countries while so many of our young spend their working lives shovelling fries into polystyrene boxes or cold-calling uninterested customers.

Our housing situation will take yet another downward turn when the current crop of cheaply thrown up homes reveal their many shortcomings. And the hapless people who live in them, many right on busy traffic junctions and former landfill sites, will also develop serious health problems. Meanwhile, those at the top of the building firms grab obscene, multi-million pound bonuses.

We seem to have lost self respect somewhere along the line and have learned to equate cheap with good in all things.

Sorry, rant of despair over now!

joelsnan you would think so wouldn’t you?

But until I can find evidence that this is the case, I’m loath to make the connection, as it is such a contentious issue leading to some very unpleasant comments on social media and action in wider society.

I have no intention of identifying a group of people in order to explain a social ill, that lets both the racketeering landlords and government off the hook.

WW2
If you have a pint bottle of milk and then try to pour another half pint in you surely have problems, the same follows with immigration. There has always been a degree of immgration which has becoming gradually greater than emigration and this was accomodated for due to the slow increase. However, Since 2004 UK has experienced a rapid increase in population. Much of the immigration has been within the semi skilled and labourer workers that occupy the lower end of the housing market. There are of course highly skilled immigrants in high class areas, but for many they have relocated to areas of low skill, former mining and mill towns working in the low and semi skilled, low paid jobs that are available there and this compounds the housing pressures within these areas.

I think that the sell off of social housing was another major Tory blooper.
Those who aspired to own their own homes used to move out leaving the house for another needy tenant. Now these houses are unavailable or are bought by property speculators who charge exhorbitant rents. The value of the house is always suppressed as a 'a former LA' property and often in estates of 'mixed' tenancies.
We seem to have had a few decades of 'if it works, lets wreck it'. With a number of social initiatives.

I am struggling to find evidence that immigration is directly related to housing shortage.

I have found one report by Mass Observatory Oxford University which states that at best research simply can’t find a firm conclusion. So that won’t do.

If anyone has evidence to backup the claim that immigration has a link to housing shortage.

George Osborne

“ I don’t know why you keep banging on about social housing. All they do is create Labour voters”