The Trussell Trust has published new research highlighting the devastating impact the cost of living crisis is having on people forced to survive on the lowest incomes.
- One in five (21%) people were unable to cook hot food this summer as they couldn’t afford to use the cooker, while almost a quarter (23%) have been unable to travel to work or essential appointments because they couldn’t afford the cost of public transport or fuel, the charity says
- The research finds almost two-thirds (64%) of Universal Credit claimants had to spend July’s first Cost of Living payment from government on food
- This starkly shows the support package has not been enough to protect people from harm or tackle soaring bills, the charity warns, as it calls on new Prime Minister to urgently provide more support
The charity is urging new Prime Minister Liz Truss to address soaring living costs, which are leading to more people using food banks, in the emergency budget expected on 21 September.
The research, a YouGov survey of 1,846 people in receipt of Universal Credit during August 2022, found more than two million* people had skipped meals across the previous three months to keep up with other essential costs.
Worryingly, 38% of people said they’d gone a whole day with no food at all or just one meal, in the last month, because they couldn’t afford to buy enough food.
Almost a quarter of people surveyed (23%) have been unable to travel to work or essential appointments, such as the doctors or the school run in the last three months, because they couldn’t afford public transport, or fuel, while a fifth (21%) of people said they didn’t cook hot food because they couldn’t afford to use the oven or other utilities.
This comes as the Trussell Trust revealed that food banks in its network provided 50% more parcels to people across the UK in recent months, compared to before the pandemic. This means a parcel provided to someone facing hardship every 13 seconds.