Anti-poverty charity says families hit hard by rising childcare and transport costs
A study commissioned by The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has found that a couple with two children living in the UK now need to earn a minimum of £18,400 a year each before tax to have an acceptable standard of living, a third more than in 2008.
The minimum income study (MIS) carried out by the social policy research unit at Loughborough University also found that a growing number of people in the UK live below a “socially-acceptable” standard of living, reports the BBC.
The MIS standard is calculated as earning enough to eat a balanced diet, run a car and heat a home.
The study said that families are suffering from a “dangerous cocktail” of rising childcare and travel costs and reduced benefits.
Julia Unwin, chief executive of the JRF charity said, “Parents facing low wages and pressure on their working time have little prospect of finding the extra money they need to meet growing household expenses.”
A Government spokesperson said, “We recognise that child care costs are an issue and that is why the Prime Minister launched a commission into this matter, which will report back in the autumn.”
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