Millions of single mums compelled to chop again on Christmas as price of residing bites
Millions of single mums face a nerve-racking Christmas as price of residing pressures pressure them to chop again on presents, meals and heating.
Analysis of Office for National Statistics (ONS) information discovered that 1.1million households with single moms are compelled to make use of much less fuel or electrical energy of their houses, whereas 1.4million are chopping again on meals and different necessities. Lone guardian households are among the many hardest hit by the price of residing disaster, with financial savings 20 instances smaller than the UK common, the info reveals.
Of the two.5million single guardian households within the UK, the overwhelming majority (84%) are women-led. Labour ’s Anneliese Dodds stated many single mums have been left paying the worth for Tory “economic chaos” this Christmas.
The Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary informed 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 4 lone-parent households reported having run out of meals and being unable to afford extra – 5 instances the quantity for the UK inhabitants (5%). Women are greater than £1,200-a-year worse off on common than when the Tories got here to energy in 2010, with gradual progress made to shut the gender pay hole.
Separate information from the ONS final month (NOV) revealed a 7.7% hole between the complete time earnings of women and men – an increase of 0.1 proportion factors within the final 12 months.
Victoria Benson, Chief Executive of Gingerbread, the charity for single guardian households, stated: “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.”
A Government spokesperson stated: “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.”
