//…boilers break down, the house springs a leak,//
You put on an extra jumper, put a bucket under the leak and, if you’re in rented accommodation (as many “poor” people are) call your - often “social” – landlord.
//car fails it's MOT....//
Get the bus. In any case if you’re poor you don’t have sufficient funds to run a car.
//I find it shocking that people think £20 a week could feed and clothe a child to a decent standard.//
It would be shocking if anybody thought it. CB is not meant to provide all the child’s needs. It’s a supplement to help the parents do so.
//Ps when they say free school meals in the holidays they mean meals that are taken at home//
No, they often mean “meals” that are taken from McDonalds, Nandos, KFC and the like …. for those who observe as well as think.