Spiralling cost of living leads to rich areas being riddled with hidden poverty, charity’s report says

SOME of Britain’s most sought after areas are riddled with hidden poverty because of the spiralling cost of living, a landmark new report has found.

Commuter towns around the capital such as Watford, central London boroughs and beauty spots in the West Country all top a national survey of where people are badly struggling to get by.

The in-depth spotlight on how poverty is far more widespread and deeply enshrined across the country was compiled by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

The campaigning charity branded the findings a major wake up call for new PM Theresa May and her promise on No10’s steps to make Britain work for everyone.

Areas such as the Cotswolds not previously associated with poverty are also named in a series of different indicator lists.

One category is the number of people working in low paid jobs such as hospitality, admin and care.

Commuter towns serving London and the South East have a high proportion, with Watford the third highest in the country - more than half of its inhabitants low paid.

South West towns and coastal resorts also feature high up, such as St Ives, Totnes and North Norfolk.

Severe problems with paying energy bills is another poverty indicator, with West Country towns such as Ludlow and St Ives again in the top three, with more than 17% of households in each judged as ‘fuel poor’.

The Wiltshire town of Devizes is also high on the list, with 15%, and the Cotswolds on 14.2%.

In comparison, the town of Milton Keynes is considered the least fuel poor in the country – coming in at 534th with just 5.4% of its people unable to pay their gas and electric bills.

Large swathes of the usually prosperous South East are also found to have the the least affordable housing for people on low incomes.

The West Sussex towns of Chichester and Arundel and the New Forest are all in the top 25 areas for the highest ratio of wage to housing costs.

London boroughs all make up the top 13 spots, with someone on a lower wage in top borough – Kensington – having to spend 25 times their salary to buy a house.

A fourth indicator of poverty, the number of out of work benefits claimants in an areas, is topped by more expected areas in the north, such as Liverpool, South Yorkshire and the North East.

The poverty areas are spread widely across MP constituencies held by all the different political parties.

JRF chief executive Julia Unwin said: “The vote for Brexit showed far too many people were left behind for too long.

“From Conservative enclaves to Labour industrial heartlands, many people face insecurity and see their chances of building a better life stymied by the onset of low paid work, high costs and a lack of skills.

“From making work pay, to creating more and better jobs and helping people with the high cost of fuel and housing, this data shows poverty reaches all corner of Britain and the key issues the parties must get to grips with if they are to make Britain work for everyone.”