Barnardo's responds to latest cost-of-living data
5.7 million low-income households having to cut down or skip meals, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s latest cost of living tracker shows “Horrendous new normal” where levels of hardship are persisting and those on the lowest incomes are being forced into making impossible choices about how often they eat and which foods they buy.
Lynn Perry MBE, CEO of Barnardo’s, said: “Today’s figures from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation paint a very bleak picture. Millions of families on low incomes can't afford food and over half of low-income households on Universal Credit are going without three or more essentials.
“Although this is shocking, it’s also sadly not a surprise. Our recent polling with YouGov found that almost one in four parents (23%) have been struggling to provide sufficient food for their children due to the persistently high cost of living. We are particularly concerned that alongside too many children missing meals and going to school hungry, many parents are forced to put less nutritious food on the table which could have life-long consequences for the health of a whole generation.
“This is unacceptable in a country which has the sixth largest economy in the world. We cannot accept this for our children. As a first step, we urge the Government to make free school meals available to all primary school children in England and to review Universal Credit so it includes an ‘essentials guarantee’ for families.”