Record 7.4 Million UK Households Unable to Afford Essentials, Charity Finds

Almost two-thirds of low-income families in the UK say they struggle to buy essentials such as clothes, heating and food, four years into the cost-of-living crisis, according to the anti-poverty charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

A record 62% of those families were unable to afford an essential item in the past six months — the equivalent of 7.4 million households, up from 7.1 million a year earlier. Almost half of those surveyed had skipped a meal or cut portion sizes to save money.

Newly appointed Prime Minister Andy Burnham has promised to set out how he will "give people some breathing space, help with the cost of living", including cutting VAT on electricity bills from October.

Elaine Yates, 77, says money worries mean she "can't remember" the last time she used her oven to cook a hot meal. "I don't look after myself. I can't remember the last time I put the oven on. I have got an air fryer that I probably used about three weeks ago. I had two slices of toast yesterday and two Weetabix and fruit is all I've had to eat today."

The pensioner lives alone in rural Northamptonshire after being widowed five years ago. Following 20 years as a full-time carer for her husband, her finances are "extremely tight", leaving her particularly exposed to price rises.

"It's really hard times, not just for me, but for thousands of others," she says. "My car costs me an arm and a leg. The fuel prices are rocketing up again, and I live in a village, so I need a car because I've got arthritis and I can't walk very far. I spend about £50 a week on petrol, which is more than my food bill."

Elaine often gives lifts to neighbours who have no transport, only to find herself unable to shop alongside them. "I've got one friend who buys clothes and I sit outside the shop because I can't afford to go in. I can't remember the last time I treated myself." In winter she rarely turns the heating on, and when she does she keeps the thermostat at 13C.

"Any extra help with their energy bills will be welcomed by older people, who we know worry hugely about the cost of fuel and often ration their heating, putting their health at risk, to ensure they can make ends meet," said Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK. The charity wants the prime minister to go further and increase the value of the Warm Home Discount to cover all low-income households.

Zoe Hayden, 35, a single parent, fell into debt after being made redundant from a retail job while on maternity leave. Now living in North Oxford, she is debt-free and completing a plumbing apprenticeship, but says rising costs remain a challenge when feeding a family.

Reported from the BBC.