William Beveridge must be turning in his grave or weeping, or both (More than 1 million UK children experienced destitution last year, study finds, 24 October). In his 1942 report, he identified five key evils: idleness, ignorance, disease, squalor and want. Systems and services such as compulsory social insurance and comprehensive medical services were among those created or expanded in the 1940s to tackle these problems. They were to provide support from the cradle to the grave, and thus the welfare state was created. I suggest it is now well and truly dead.
We have children and their parents living in acute poverty, including those receiving benefits; health services falling apart; social care and support for elderly and disabled people totally inadequate; education underfunded and in disarray; and a lack of decent and affordable housing. This appalling situation is shortsighted as children growing up in poverty are likely to do less well in school and be less healthy in later life, at significant cost to the state later on.
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