Cost Of Living Forcing Brits To Make Impossible Decisions
Even with recent inflation rises and more rises coming in the cost of living, these rises have been starting last year, where two in five Brits were having choose been food and paying other household bills, and this is only going to get harder in the coming months.
The latest research from a recent survey, by the Post Office and the Trussell Trust, reveals that due to food prices (61%) and a rise in energy bills (71%) are meaning that even last year people were having to make difficult decisions in their lives. Worryingly 41% of those questioned had gone without food to feed other members of their family at some point over the last 12 months.
The impact of inflation has affected decisions for financial reasons, including 38% of Brits have had to reduce their spending on food, essential household items or utilities in the past 3 months and 75% have done so as a direct result of the cost of living. This includes increased food prices and rising energy bills, and worryingly 76% of people who had already reduced their spending are also worried about their financial situation over the next 3 months.
The Trussell Trust, an anti-poverty charity, supports over 1,300 food banks, last year provided 2.5m emergency food parcels to people in crisis, with nearly a million of these for children.
Almost all (95%) of people referred to food banks in its network are destitute - meaning they cannot afford the essentials we all need to eat, stay warm and dry, and keep clean. As the price cap was raised and the less than helpful UK Government loan schemes that have come in with a hidden agenda for energy "support", these figures will only rise in the coming year ahead.
