UK HOUSEHOLDS FORCED TO UNPLUG FRIDGES AND FREEZERS AMID RISING COSTS

Mon 20 October 2023:

Around 2 million UK homes have been forced to turn off their fridge or freezer to save money as they continue to face “frightening” levels of hardship, according to poverty campainers, The Guardian reported.

According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), nearly half of those households have had to unplug their fridge or freezer for the first time since May, indicating that the cost of living crisis is still affecting low-income people.

Millions of families were still resorting to “desperate measures” to cope with rising bills and prices, it said, with four out of five households on universal credit also going without food, turning off the heating, and not replacing worn-out clothing.

The JRF’s latest cost of living crisis tracker survey found that in October a quarter (2.8m) of UK low-income households ran up debt to pay for food, a third sold belongings to raise cash, and one in six had used community “warm rooms”.

The JRF said that although the government had allocated more than £12bn in targeted cost of living support, and inflation has begun to fall, 7.3m households had gone without food and other essentials in the last six months, suggesting the crisis was far from over.

“Millions of families unplugging their fridges and freezers is the latest chapter in a long-running story of hardship. People risk becoming sick from eating spoiled food and going without healthy, fresh food. This risks lasting harm to the health of millions,” said Peter Matejic, chief analyst at the JRF.

“The picture isn’t getting better for low income families even as inflation starts to come down. Too many are taking out loans to pay for food, selling their belongings and using warm banks to try and get by.”

He added: “It’s unconscionable that the government is reportedly considering cutting struggling families’ benefits to fund tax cuts. In the upcoming autumn statement benefits must be increased in line with inflation and local housing allowance must be unfrozen to support private renters with their housing costs.”

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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