Parents could go without food to heat homes and feed children this winter
Food and fuel price hikes leave UK families struggling to keep children warm and well fed, according to OXFAM
The squeeze on family budgets is set to worsen this winter, as fuel, food and rent prices rise.
A study by Oxfam found that things are getting so bad for some families that parents are going without food so their children can eat.
Families surveyed revealed they were now spending half of their disposable income on food. And with winter approaching, many are increasingly worried about meeting the cost of fuel for heating.
“Because so many people in the country are living on precariously low incomes, managing household budgets is pretty much like a daily tightrope walk,” said Kate Wareing, Oxfam’s director of UK poverty.
“Trying to balance the spiralling costs of food and fuel means that anything else people may need to budget for – like paying for their child to go on a school trip or fixing a broken washing machine – are simply out of the question.”
In Wales, research has suggested families are going overdrawn just to keep their houses heated.
“We urge anyone who is struggling to pay their energy bills to call their energy company as there is help available,” explained a spokesperson for Energy UK.
Does the price of fuel worry you with winter on the way?
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