That day of the month again. In goes the Universal Credit and woosh there it goes again. I feel there should be a song about it. -- I dread this date every month. It's almost as if this date has reminded me of a Traumatic event. That's probably a bit extreme but every 15th I have a sick feeling of dread in my stomach. Like the world is going to end. -- £2400 in and after bills and 1 weeks groceries I am down to £7.30. -- I just don't understand how people think that us folk on benefits have takeaways all the time and go to the pub.

I am struggling because I am an unpaid carer and have lack of support from services that are supposed to help. Today we had a meeting with the adult social worker but she didn’t turn up. I am currently in the process of complaining about everything but they don’t seem to care. They think a sorry is ok

My daughter breaks up from school on Friday 17th July. I am looking forward to the break and not having to rush her in the mornings for a while.

Her father now has to pay higher child maintenance, which is great, as I won't have to worry so much of giving her extra cash in the holidays.

Next year is her final year (Year 11) so this a big milestone for her.

I have the date for her prom already in my diary and will start looking for dresses for her already through the charities I work with

I’m answering from London to this very important question related the change of prime minister.

According to me and other people that I’ve exchanged with, the change of prime minister is just reflecting the instability in the UK.

The potential arrival of Mr Burnham might be a hope that the inequality in our society will be reduced.

Mr Burnham called the 2 child benefit limit the worst of Westminster. Which makes me think that he will be concerned about questions around economic challenges faced by population or at least stop the cutting in benefits.

He will have his first day in 10 Downing Street on the 20th of July first week of school summer holidays so I’m hoping that he will make decision to tackle poverty and inequalities in the society during the summer holiday and bring quick solutions when kids are at home the whole day and their parents are not even able to feed them.

Hi everyone, I’m writing from London where worry amongst parents is increasing as we are all trying to cope with the basic needs of the children while others are packing to travel towards great destinations.

I find it difficult as parents to struggle to put a plate on the table and to worry about how to keep them busy , especially tennagers as holidays schemes are limited for them .

Another challenge: to keep them safe and not frustrated.

I hope it can be a great boost and ambition to study towards a better financial situation.

I wish all of you a nice holiday .

Hi everyone, I’m responding from London where the cost of living crisis is a major problem and reaching a big percentage of the population.

I’m particularly thinking about when kids are not in school and where the free school dinner is replaced by £15 week vouchers which help but do not cover at all the cost of having the children at home the whole day.

So to balance the urgency of poverty with the slow work of systemic policy It will be important to to tackle the roots of the problem and to avoid disasters .

Some areas in the UK are more affected than others so in these areas everything should be put in place to respond to emergencies particularly when it comes to food access which is a minimum vital response the government should bring.

My 2 year old is starting Nursery September am excited for him, 2 o clock we have a visit at the Nursery for them to familiarise themselves to the place. Looking forward to this visit.

Apart from that we are just relaxed home.

Attitude in Parliament needs to change.

MP's are not doing their jobs that they are paid to do.

They are exploiting their positions to transfer taxes to party donors.

There is plenty funds, It's being directed to business owners to profit from rather than to charities who do not profit.

The political scapegoating of those in poverty has caused psychological damage to the vulnerable who are isolated and stigmatised by politicians.

More support especially to the low income earners with children, homeless people should also be supported with basics of life amenities

I am struggling daily and worry more everyday. The slow difficult systemic policy reforms are not necessarily helping us all to come out of poverty. They actually bring fear in terms of the long term impact it is going to have on me and my family. The current crisis and poverty seems to only be getting worse with no valid solution to the problem as all prime ministers seem to feel like they want to target poor people and make more people poorer and not put the right foundations in place to stop this. From, not correctly funding the NHS and creating jobs that will eliminate poverty.

This is one of the hardest questions in social policy because both needs are real and both carry moral weight.

A useful way to think about it is "both/and" rather than "either/or."

Respond to immediate suffering

People experiencing poverty today cannot wait years for reforms to take effect. Emergency support, food assistance, housing help, debt relief, crisis grants, and community aid can prevent harm and preserve dignity right now.

Pursue structural change

At the same time, crisis responses alone can become a permanent sticking plaster. Systemic reform addresses the drivers of poverty: low wages, insecure work, inadequate social security, housing shortages, unequal access to education, healthcare, and opportunities.

Connect short-term action to long-term reform

The strongest approach is often to design immediate interventions that also contribute to wider change. For example:

Emergency support can generate evidence about gaps in existing systems.

Lived experience of poverty can shape policy design.

Pilot programmes can demonstrate what works before wider adoption.

Community organisations can meet urgent needs while advocating for reform.

Centre the voices of those affected

People living in poverty are often expected to survive the crisis while others debate solutions. Their experience should inform both immediate responses and long-term policy development. This helps ensure reforms address real rather than assumed problems.

Accept that progress happens on different timescales

Urgent action and systemic reform require different approaches, resources, and expectations. The challenge is not choosing one over the other, but maintaining commitment to long-term change while refusing to ignore immediate hardship.

In short: we balance them by treating emergency support as a moral necessity and systemic reform as a moral obligation. One helps people survive today; the other reduces the likelihood that people will face the same crisis tomorrow

Is nice windy day, the wind is nice cool loving it so much