HEAT OR EAT: Mums’ fears over rising cost of living - ‘How can we afford food or to heat our homes in future?’

Our Heat or Eat campaign is calling for something to be done urgently to ensure people are faced with the choice of whether to heat or eat this winter and beyond as rising energy and food prices really begin to hit family budgets.

A new report says that low-paid workers are being hit harder financially by the escalating cost of living than by the pandemic as many fall behind on household bills and regularly skip meals.

Research by the Living Wage Foundation found that almost one in five workers have taken out a pay-day loan to cover essentials in the past year.

A survey of 1,700 workers earning less than the voluntary Real Living Wage found that almost two in five have fallen behind on household bills and a similar number have regularly skipped meals for financial reasons.

Almost a third of respondents said they had not been able to keep their homes warm this winter.

“I really do fear that it is going to get worse and go on for a long time,” said South Shore mum of two Karla Frizzell.

“I have a seven year old and a two year old and I really do wonder if it is this bad now, how is it going to be for them in the future?

“My husband and I are doing reasonably okay, as we both work, but it’s going to get a lot worse in a couple of months, with energy bills and council tax all going up, plus National Insurance.

“Along with others, we’re already being careful where we shop but it seems like there are there tougher times ahead. It’s a loan shark’s dream.”

Jade Amos, also of South Shore, has children aged one and two and is growing ever more concerned about what she is able to feed them.

“My husband works but it’s not possible for me to do as well as child care would cost so much.

“We’re already listing what we can spend where and trying to shop as cheaply as we can, but I worry about the children’s diet.

“I’m not able to afford the healthy food I want to give the, so have to serve up things like pasta bakes, which isn’t ideal.”

Sharon Booth-Isherwood is a single mother of four – aged 16, 14, 10 and one – and the rising prices, with the prospect of event steeper increases to come, are causing her grave concern.

“It looks like the bills are going to be even higher by April and any wage rises are coming nowhere near to matching the prices we’re all facing,” said Sharon.

“I think the wealth tax on the energy companies really needs looking at – how can there be talk of profits in the billions, when ordinary people are struggling to make ends meet?

“The prices of all sorts are just going up and up all the time - growing children needs clothes as well as us having to find the money for food and utilities. It’s a real worry.”

All three woman are among regular attenders at mum and baby activities at the South Shore Community Hub in the former library building at Highfield Road – and Julie Burrows, a trustee there, confirmed the concerns over rising prices are widespread.

“There are really worrying times for everyone,” said Julie. “The feedback we are getting is that so many people are really concerned, not just about the situation as it is now, but how it is going to be in the months and even years to come.”

Shauna Moseley, a volunteer at the South Shore Community Hub, who has two primary school age children, said: “Every time you go to the supermarket, there’s an extra 10 or 20p on this or that and I couldn’t believe now much our electricity cost in January - £210, whereas I have been used to putting £30 a week aside for it. It’s going up in April, so it’s a really worry for so many people.”

To help families, the South Shore Hub is offering essentials for babies, including nappies, bibs, hats and shampoo, along with toiletries for mums, free of charge via its Little Xtras Baby Bank, funded by donations such as a recent one received from car company Arnold Clark.

Katherine Chapman, director of the Living Wage Foundation, said: “Our polling paints an unsettling picture for millions of people as rising living costs compound the challenges of two years of the pandemic. Almost two fifths of low-paid workers report having fallen behind on basic household bills, a third have had to skip meals and we’ve seen an increase in the use of pay-day loans, and all these trends have increased since 2020.

“There’s no better way for businesses to offer protection and reward for their staff than by joining over 9,000 Living Wage employers to ensure that everyone who works for them, including people that kept us going during the pandemic like cleaners and security guards, earn the real Living Wage.”

Dave Innes, head of economics at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, commented: “Work should provide a route out of poverty, but a combination of low pay, too few hours and insecure work means that many low-paid workers are at risk of real hardship as the cost of living rises.

“It is deeply worrying that so many low-paid workers are already skipping meals and taking on debt.

“With inflation projected to hit seven per cent in April, it’s clear that people on low incomes, who spend a higher proportion of their income on essentials, are at the sharpest end of the crisis.”

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