Out of radar control

Unmarried mothers who end up in a spiral of debts amounting to several thousands of pounds for having failed to pay television licence fees. Unemployed fathers who incurred in high-interest loans to cover the expense of their children’s school-gear. The ecumenical charity “Zacchaeus 2000 Trust” helps those who fall victim of exorbitant fines by providing appropriate legal advice. Silvia Guazzetti interviewed for SIR Europe the Charity’s chairman, Rev. Paul Nicolson.How did you begin?“The initial motivation was the poll tax of Mrs. Thatcher, viewed as seriously unfair. Many poor people were put into prison because they couldn’t afford to pay it. This is when we decided to take care of the “poor below radar”, the poor that nobody takes care of”. How did the organization come into being?“I have been the Trust’s chairman for the past ten years, there are two full-time lawyers, an administrator and an office whose expense, 220.000 pounds, (248.000 euro) is paid through charity donations. We train volunteer workers and lobby the government as relates to issues such as inadequate wages, unfair taxes and aggressive procedures aimed at compelling the poor to pay their debts. We are struggling to adjust unemployment benefits”. How?“Unlike other European Countries – France, Germany and The Netherlands – British government benefit payments aren’t based on decent standard of living criteria. Rather, benefits are established on the basis of the labor market performance, thus the sum must be lower than the average income wage in order to prevent people from taking advantage of it. However, as a result the unemployed are the victims of a spiral of poverty. Today, adults’ unemployment benefits amounts to 65 pounds per week, slightly over 68 euro, that must cover all expenses except for house rent and related taxes. The cost of living is such so as to make it impossible to live on this amount of money. In Great Britain unemployment benefits amount to 40-50% of average income while in most European countries this sum represents 60-70%. We have the highest number of pregnant undernourished mothers in Europe and there are signs of tuberculosis resurgence. Crime is linked to poverty. A survey conducted by the Ministry of Interiors has shown that the main reason for prostitution is the need to earn money. We are urging government officials to adapt the benefits to the cost of living”. What do think about the “culture of dependence” , i.e., the fact that the “welfare state” triggers the habit to live on State benefits refraining from encouraging employment? “It’s an over-dramatized concept; a myth that reassures the well-off. There are currently two nations in Great Britain; one lives in comfort while the other lives in a state of total poverty. The nation that is well-off – representing 40% of the overall population – have no idea of the tragic living conditions of the poor and have no relations with those 20% who live under the radar. When I speak of the living conditions of the poor in Churches attended by rich parishioners, I see how shocked they are by what I tell them since it’s hard for them to imagine such a degree of poverty. The system of benefits and credits is so complex that if a poor person contracts a debt that person risks ending up in a vicious cycle that is hard to control, and is often victim of the flaws in the system”. Are the bureaucrats in charge of the system aware of it? “Not always. The system is so complex that often also for them it’s hard to have a clear perception of reality. The situation is made worse by the fact that the poor have only mobile phones which they recharge when they can afford it and are therefore hard to reach”. Does the fact that credit is not regulated by banks make it worse? “It surely does. Since the 1980s there is a blind faith in the free market supported by the naive belief that the richness it produces will in some way be transmitted to the poor. The missed regulation of bank credit has increased poverty, while it was expected to decrease it, but since 40% of the constituency is well-off and this is the percentage that a party needs to be elected, the political establishment lacks the yearning to do something for the poor”. Do you believe that the Churches do enough for the poor? “No, Churches are a microcosm of society and a high percentage of the faithful belong to Great Britain’s upper class, who have no contacts with the poor. It’s important that they do volunteer work, and that they become acquainted with those who aren’t a part of their social class”.