COST OF LIVING FORCES MILLIONS OF UK SINGLE MUMS TO CUT BACK CHRISTMAS SPENDING

Mon 25 December 2023:

Millions of single mums face a stressful Christmas as cost of living pressures force them to cut back on presents, food and heating.

Analysis of Office for National Statistics (ONS) data found that 1.1 million households with single mothers are forced to use less gas or electricity in their homes, while 1.4million are cutting back on food and other essentials. Lone parent households are among the hardest hit by the cost of living crisis, with savings 20 times smaller than the UK average, the data shows, The Daily Mirror reported.

Of the 2.5 million single parent households in the UK, the overwhelming majority (84%) are women-led. Labour ’s Anneliese Dodds said many single mums were left paying the price for Tory “economic chaos” this Christmas.

The Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary told the Sunday Mirror, “Christmas is a time to enjoy being with your family. But many single mums this year will be nervously eying the thermostat and having to make some very tough decisions over presents, food and heating. That is the cost of the Conservatives’ economic chaos – higher bills to pay, more anxiety for parents and more people who just can’t make ends meet.”

ONS figures found that three quarters (74%) of lone parent households are finding it “somewhat difficult or very difficult” to pay their energy bills, with a fifth behind on their bills. Half of single parents (49%) reported having relied on credit or borrowing more than a year ago – twice the rate for the whole UK population (25%).

One in four lone-parent households reported having run out of food and being unable to afford more – five times the number for the UK population (5%). Women are more than £1,200-a-year worse off on average than when the Tories came to power in 2010, with slow progress made to close the gender pay gap.

Separate data from the ONS last month (November) revealed a 7.7% gap between the full time earnings of men and women – a rise of 0.1 percentage points in the last year.

Victoria Benson, Chief Executive of Gingerbread, the charity for single parent families, said, “Single parents are brilliant at budgeting – they have to be – but they are not miracle workers and many simply can’t afford any extras at Christmas. Years of austerity, followed by the COVID pandemic and now the ongoing cost of living crisis has pushed them beyond their financial limit.”

“For too many it has gone past choosing between heating and eating – we know single parent families are going without both food and warmth, as they simply cannot make ends meet. We need to see policies that support single parent families, including affordable childcare, a reformed child maintenance system, and an end to cruel penalties like the two-child limit. Otherwise, we will see a two-tier society with single parents firmly at the bottom,” she added.

A Government spokesperson said, “We are committed to supporting the most vulnerable, which is why the £104 billion cost of living package – worth around £3,700 on average per household – will include a 6.7% increase to benefits next year while the Household Support Fund is helping people with the cost of essentials.

“We have also more than halved inflation to help everyone’s money go further and cut taxes at the Autumn Statement, saving the average earner £450 a year. There are 1.7 million fewer people living in absolute poverty – including 400,000 fewer children – than in 2010,” the spokesperson added.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

______________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

WhatsApp CHANNEL
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22