Business
Dad-of-three turns to Worcester food bank after job loss
BBCA single dad-of-three said he was forced to move in with his parents and rely on a food bank when “things just went downhill quick” after losing his job.
Luke Harborne worked as a roofer up until December but admitted he did not know what he would do if he had no access to Worcester’s food bank.
“I don’t know what would happen, I really don’t,” the 30-year-old said.
“The people here are absolutely brilliant, they’re such lovely people and all of them have a heart of gold to do what they do.”
Mr Harborne had been in shared accommodation in Kingstanding, Birmingham, but when he became unemployed, he fell behind with his rent payments and lived on the streets before his parents in Worcester took him in.
“My mum and dad agreed to let me live back there but I’m just struggling at the minute,” he said.
“It’s very, very tough [providing for three children]. It’s hard to survive off benefits, it really is.”
Mr Harborne said he was even struggling while he was employed.
“I managed to cope with the wages I had coming in but all my money was going on rent and bills,” he said.
“The rest went on food but that didn’t last me until my next payday.
“I need to get myself back in employment and I am actively looking but it’s tough because I have to work around child arrangements so it’s hard to commit to a full-time job.
“You need a really good job, that pays really well just to get a one-bedroom flat. But I will get there. It’s just hard to survive.”
At the food bank, Grahame Lucas said he worked to “turn frowns upside down”.
“It’s a bit corny, I know, but people come here perhaps not feeling the most positive but they walk away with a smile on their face,” he added.
Mr Lucas has been manager of Worcester Foodbank since 2014 and said in that time the charity has “grown out of all recognition”.
“We started out feeding about 3,000 people a year and prior to Covid up to about 9,000 people and now we’re up to 18,000 people,” he said.
“We’re now braced for the autumn rush, when people start getting their energy bills on the doormat. This is by far the busiest period.”
Mr Lucas and his team provide about 250,000 meals annually, at a cost of £500,000.
The service also provides “cooking parcels”, which include herbs and spices, as well as a toiletries hamper too.
“Clients have said to us that we’re lifesavers and without us people have admitted they would be forced to shoplift just to survive,” Mr Lucas said.
Mr Lucas said the charity had served “all age groups” which “goes right through to people who are retired”.
“That group is much less because, what we find, the state pension system works well – whereas the benefits system is still deficient,” he said.
“I think the system is broken.”
The food bank manager said he sympathised with government and described changing the system as an “oil tanker moment” that would be a “long-term project”.
Susan Campbell, deputy warehouse manager at Worcester Foodbank, is responsible for greeting clients.
“The stories are really sad and you want to do more than just give them food,” she said.
“You hear all sorts and you just try to make them feel better about the whole thing.”
She added the numbers coming to them have “got much, much worse” and they were seeing more and more families.
“People tend to assume we’re serving the homeless but it’s just not true,” Ms Campbell said.
“Lots of people that come here are working and they just can’t afford to live.”
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson told the BBC it was “determined to tackle the unacceptable rise in food bank dependence”.
They added: “Our child poverty taskforce will publish an ambitious strategy later this year.
“We are also overhauling job centres and reforming the broken welfare system to support people into good, secure jobs, while always protecting those who need it most.”
Business
‘We need to fix India’: Howard Lutnick urges New Delhi to ‘play ball’ with Trump; ‘avoid policies that harm US’ – The Times of India
Donald Trump‘s commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, on Sunday said India must “react correctly” to the United States, adding that “we need to fix a bunch of countries,” amid the ongoing trade tensions demanding an end to policies “harming” American interests.In an interview with News Nation, Lutnick stated that India must open its markets and avoid policies that could “harm” the US. “We have a bunch of countries to fix like Switzerland, Brazil, right? It’s got an issue. India, these are countries that need to really react correctly to America. Open their markets, stop taking actions that harm America, and that’s why we’re off sides with them,” he said.He added that while trade issues can be resolved over time, India must “play ball” with the US if it wants access to American consumers. “Those, I think, will be sorted out, but they take time. And these countries have to understand that if you want to sell to the US consumer, right? You’ve got to play ball with the president of the United States. So those are still coming. A bunch of countries left but the big ones maybe the big ones you know India we’ll sort it out over time,” Lutnick noted.He further claimed that, “2026 economy is Donald Trump’s economy.”The remarks come shortly after a high-level Indian delegation, led by commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal, visited the United States. The delegation engaged in productive discussions aimed at strengthening bilateral trade and investment ties, the Commerce and Industry Ministry said on September 26.
The construction of three new towns will begin before the next general election, Labour has pledged.
A taskforce has recommended 12 locations in England for development, with three areas – Tempsford in Bedfordshire, Leeds South Bank, and Crews Hill in north London – identified as the most promising sites.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed is expected to announce the plans in a speech on the opening day of Labour’s annual party conference.
Labour has put housebuilding at the centre of its vision of how to get the economy growing, promising to build 1.5 million new homes by 2029.
Tempsford is home to 600 people and currently has around 300 houses. Its parish council chairman David Sutton said residents had been kept in the dark about the potential plans, including how many new homes could be built.
“The biggest problem we’ve got at the moment is that even today, as an announcement’s being made, we’ve been given no idea whatsoever of the scale of what we’re being asked to live amongst,” he told the PA news agency.
“Nobody’s come to talk to us at all.”
The promise of a “new generation of new towns” was included in Labour’s election manifesto last year.
The 12 proposed developments range from large-scale standalone new communities, to expansions of existing towns and regeneration schemes within cities.
Sites in Cheshire, South Gloucestershire, East Devon, Plymouth and Manchester are among those which have been recommended for development.
The chosen sites will be subject to environmental assessments and consultation, with the government confirming the final locations and funding next spring.
Labour said each new town would have at least 10,000 homes and they could collectively result in 300,000 homes being built across England over the coming decades.
The government has welcomed a recommendation from the New Towns Taskforce that at least 40% of these new homes should be classed as affordable housing.
A New Towns Unit will be tasked with bringing in millions of pounds of public and private sector funding to invest in GP surgeries, schools, green spaces, libraries and transport for the new developments.
The taskforce has recommended new towns are delivered by development corporations, which could have special planning powers to compulsory purchase land, invest in local services, and grant planning permission.
This follows the model of the regeneration of Stratford in east London during and after the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “For so many families, homeownership is a distant dream.
“My Labour government will sweep aside the blockers to get homes built, building the next generation of new towns.”
In his speech, the housing secretary will promise to “build baby build”, while “taking lessons from the post-war Labour government housing boom”.
“This party built new towns after the war to meet our promise of homes fit for heroes. Now, with the worst economic inheritance since that war, we will once again build cutting-edge communities to provide homes fit for families of all shapes and sizes,” Reed is expected to say.
After World War Two Clement Attlee’s government planned the first wave of new towns, including in Stevenage, Crawley and Welwyn Garden City, to relocate people from poor or bombed-out housing, with development corporations assigned responsibility for building them.
The announcement comes as Labour members gather in Liverpool for the party’s annual conference.
It will be Reed’s first major speech since he took over from Angela Rayner as housing secretary, after she resigned for failing to pay enough tax on a flat purchase.
It has been a bruising few weeks for Sir Keir, who is facing questions over his leadership and the direction of his party.
With Labour trailing behind Reform UK in the polls, the prime minister has stepped up his attacks on Nigel Farage’s party.
Arriving in Liverpool on Saturday, he warned Reform would “tear this country apart” and said the conference would be an opportunity to set out his alternative to the “toxic divide and decline” offered by the party.
Last Updated:
India’s seniors like Rajesh and Priya are redefining retirement with active lifestyles. Discover why dynamic financial planning is essential for longer lives.
Investment
Let me tell you about two of the people I worked with (names changed for privacy). Rajesh, 62, just launched his third startup after “retiring” from his corporate career. And Priya, 58, is meticulously planning her dream solo Euro-trip now that her children have settled abroad.
Five years ago, I would have called them outliers. Today, they represent the new reality of India’s seniors – healthier, wealthier, and seeking dramatically more out of life than any previous generation.
However, when I review the financial plans of people in their 50s and beyond, I see the same outdated frameworks we’ve been using for decades. I see them still using the ancient playbook of calculating a retirement corpus at 50, parking it in “safe” fixed deposits, and hoping the FDs would outlast them.
But, here’s the uncomfortable truth I’ve learned: Life expectancy in India has jumped from 54 years in 1990 to over 70 years today. Many of the people I worked with, who are already in their 50s, will live 30+ years after turning 60, and that’s longer than their entire careers.
This isn’t just outdated thinking. It’s financially flawed.
Why I Stopped Recommending “One-Time”
Retirement Planning
After working with hundreds of people across ages and different market cycles, I’ve seen the same pattern repeat: the people who struggle aren’t those who saved too little – they’re the ones who planned once and never adapted.
Traditional retirement planning was designed for work until age 60, receiving a pension, and living quietly for 10-15 years. Simple. Predictable. Over.
Today’s retirement is a different ballgame.
Here’s what I tell every client: “We prepare in phases for everything – your child’s education, your career progression, even buying a home. But retirement? We still treat it like a one-day event rather than a three-decade journey.”
The Four Flaws I See in Every Traditional Plan
In my 30+ years of experience, I’ve identified four critical mistakes that render most retirement plans obsolete:
Flaw #1: The “Retirement = Inactivity” Assumption
The biggest misconception I encounter is that retirement means withdrawal from life. 60-year-olds today have the health and ambition that 45-year-olds had a generation ago. They’re launching businesses, learning digital skills, and relocating to their dream cities.
Their parents retired to rest. They’re retiring to reset.
Flaw #2: Ignoring the New Retirement Aspirations
When I started my career, retirement planning meant calculating basic living expenses plus medical costs.
Now? People I know want budgets for:
● Extensive domestic and international travel
● Premium healthcare and wellness programs
● Lifelong learning and skill development
● Second careers and entrepreneurial ventures
These aren’t luxuries but the new baseline expectations.
Flaw #3: The “Save and Forget” Mentality
Here’s what I’ve learned from managing portfolios through multiple market cycles: The biggest risk isn’t market volatility, it’s outliving your money.
Most plans obsess over accumulating a corpus but completely ignore the challenge of making that money last and grow over 30+ years. With inflation consistently eroding purchasing power, a static approach guarantees declining living standards.
Flaw #4: One-Size-Fits-All Planning
This one particularly troubles me. Take women, for example. They live 2-3 years longer than men but typically have 20-30% lower lifetime earnings. Yet I see the same planning templates applied to everyone.
The result? I’ve counselled too many women who’ve outlived both their spouses and their money.
My Framework: The Dynamic Retirement Strategy
After years of seeing static plans fail, I’ve developed what I call the “Dynamic Retirement Strategy.” Here are the core principles I now advocate:
Principle #1: Plan for 100, Not 75
Medical advances are accelerating. The 60-year-old sitting in an office today may need their money to last 40 more years. This single mindset shift changes everything: how much to save, how to invest, how to structure withdrawals.
Principle #2: The 5-Year Review Rule
I now insist everyone I work with to review and revise their plans every 5-7 years. Life changes. Health evolves. The family needs shifts. Markets move.
Your financial plan must be a living document, not a museum piece.
There’s a gentleman who had initially planned for a quiet retirement in his hometown, but at 65, decided to relocate to Goa and start a restaurant. His original plan would have been disastrous. The revised plan? He’s happier than he was in his corporate role.
Principle #3: Growth Investing Doesn’t End at 60
Pure debt instruments, our industry’s default recommendation for retirees, simply won’t cut it for longer lifespans and the changing world order.
I now recommend balanced portfolios with equity exposure even for people who are in their late 60s. Yes, there’s volatility. But the alternative, guaranteed purchasing power erosion, is worse.
Principle #4: Plan for Lifestyle changes and Inflation, not Just Medical costs
Everyone plans for rising healthcare costs. Few plan for rising lifestyle expectations. The retirement budget that feels adequate at 60 often feels constraining at 70.
Today, people don’t want to downgrade their lives in retirement. They want to upgrade them. The financial plan must account for this reality.
Principle #5: Women Need a Different Strategy
Based on my experience, women need:
● More aggressive saving during working years
● Different asset allocation approaches
● Higher corpus targets to account for longevity
It’s not complicated. It’s just different.
Principle #6: Multiple Income Streams Are Essential
I do not recommend relying solely on fixed deposits and pensions. In my most successful cases, people have diversified income streams: rental properties, dividend stocks, part-time consulting, and even small business ventures.
One client generates more income from his post-retirement photography business than his previous corporate salary. Another earns steady rental income from properties she bought strategically during her working years.
The Industry Must Catch Up
The generation entering retirement today doesn’t want to rest; they want to redesign. Are we equipped to help them?
We need:
● Products designed for 30-year retirement journeys, not 10-year wind-downs
● Planning tools that adapt to changing circumstances
● Investment options that balance growth with stability over extended
periods
● Specialised approaches for different demographics and life situations
The transformation is already beginning. Progressive advisors are moving from “corpus calculations” to comprehensive “strategy frameworks.” But we need to move faster.
What You Should Do Right Now
If you’re reading this and approaching or already in retirement, here’s my advice:
Immediate Actions:
1. Audit your current plan: When was it last updated? Does it assume you’ll live to 85 or 95?
2. Stress-test your assumptions: What if inflation averages 6% instead of 4%? What if you need care for 10 years instead of 5?
3. Diversify beyond traditional options: Are you too dependent on fixed deposits?
Consider working with advisors who understand modern retirement realities. Look for those who talk about “retirement strategies” rather than just
“retirement corpus.”
The Bottom Line
After 30+ years in this industry, I can say with certainty: Your parents’ retirement strategy won’t work for your retirement reality.
The old playbook of “work, save, retire, rest” is obsolete. The new playbook, “work, save, retire, redesign, adapt, thrive”, requires dynamic thinking and flexible planning.
I’ve seen too many retirees struggle not because they didn’t save enough, but because they planned once and never adapted. Don’t let that be your story.
The demographic transformation is creating both unprecedented challenges and remarkable opportunities. The people I work with today are living longer, more active, more fulfilling lives than any previous generation.
But only if their financial plans keep up.
The shift from static corpus to dynamic strategy isn’t coming. It’s already here.
The question is whether you’ll adapt fast enough to make the most of these additional decades of life.
Because trust me, they can be the best decades yet.
Varun Yadav is a Sub Editor at News18 Business Digital. He writes articles on markets, personal finance, technology, and more. He completed his post-graduation diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Inst…Read More
Varun Yadav is a Sub Editor at News18 Business Digital. He writes articles on markets, personal finance, technology, and more. He completed his post-graduation diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Inst… Read More
September 28, 2025, 10:54 IST
Read More
I’ve Tested More Than 50 Cases for the iPhone 17 Lineup. This Is the Ultimate Case Guide
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle hint at new formula: ‘Less rigid’
‘Clog the toilet’ trolls hit Indian visa holders rushing to US
-
Tech1 week agoAmericans would dominate board of new TikTok US entity: W.House
-
Fashion1 week agoTrützschler set to showcase textile tech at ITMA Asia 2025
-
Tech1 week agoIraq’s first industrial-scale solar plant opens in Karbala desert to tackle electricity crisis
-
Tech1 week agoEU to finalize probes into tech platforms soon: Commissioner
-
Tech1 week agoThe Best Hybrid Mattresses for Every Kind of Sleeper
-
Tech1 week agoHow to Clean a Kid’s Car Seat the Right Way
-
Fashion1 week agoBanking woes threaten Bangladesh’s RMG export momentum
-
Tech1 week agoDonald Trump Is Saying There’s a TikTok Deal. China Isn’t