Surprise news report on poverty in Bergen.

Norway is the richest country in western Europe. It was not always so. Until the discovery of oil and gas off Norway's coast, the country was actually quite poor. Now, however, the average Norwegian enjoys a high standard of living - well you would think so. Actually, though it would appear that there are many whose standard of living is far below that which many Norwegians would find only just acceptable. According to a survey carried out by Bergen Kommune published today, in certain areas of Greater Bergen every fourth child is living below the poverty line (defined by the OECD as earning under 50% of the average salary in Bergen). That means their families are earning less than NOK164,000 per year - about £16,500. Considering the average shopping basket here costs 2.5 times as much here as it does in the UK, it means the poorer families here really are poor. It is quite shocking to see those kind of figures. Strictly speaking, no-one here should be living on or beneath the poverty line at all. The average shelf stacker and kindergarden assistant earn around £29,000 a year, so I wonder why there is this difference in living standards? Maybe it is families where the parents are unable to work and are dependent upon state support. If so, there shoukd be a better system, which ensures that children do not suffer because of their parents problems. Hopefully, the results of the survey will be used to improve how resources are distributed, and break the cycle of poverty that exists even here.