‘One in four households short of money for essentials’

One in four households regularly run out of money for essentials, a group of charities have said, calling for immediate measures like continuing energy bill support.

According to an assessment by the Together Through This Crisis initiative, whose members are Save the Children, Shelter, Turn2us, Little Village and 38 Degrees, nearly 40 per cent of people end the month with no money left, while 24 per cent run out of money for essentials either most months or most days.

The assessment, reported by The Guardian, adds to the growing welter of indicators that persistent double-digit inflation and soaring energy bills are having a widespread impact on UK households and may do so at the ballot box.

The research by the frontline charities signals the widening political risk of the cost of living crisis. Even among the 10 most affluent constituencies in the UK, 19 per cent of people said they found themselves unable to pay for food or bills by the end of most months.

Overall, 6 per cent of people told the charities’ survey they could not pay for essentials most days, rising to 11 per cent in the most deprived areas. Sixty-seven per cent said the UK government was “not doing enough” to address the cost of living crisis. The poll questioned people in the 100 most deprived and 100 least deprived constituencies in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The Office for National Statistics released figures on Monday (20) showing that more than half of renters would not be able to afford an unexpected £850 bill, prompting calls for ministers to unfreeze housing benefit, which is stuck at 2020 levels.

In an open letter to the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and the chancellor Jeremy Hunt, the group is demanding action to tackle this crisis. Their requests include continuing energy bill support, prioritising families receiving universal credit or equivalent benefits, and the expansion of free school meals to all children, which the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced on Monday for all primary schools in the capital.