We're urging action on cost of living
We have joined with fellow PlaceShapers members to urge MPs to commit to doing more to support low income households through the cost of living crisis.
PlaceShapers – the national network of place-based housing associations – has outlined key areas the government needs to address to ensure that those on the lowest incomes are protected against the worst of the impacts of rising utility and food costs and rocketing inflation.
So far this year, 84% of the 5.6 million people receiving Universal Credit, many of them in working families, have been forced to go without at least one essential. This means people having to skip meals or showers, going without basic toiletries or not being able to heat their homes properly.
PlaceShapers has also urged the two Conservative party leadership candidates to take action on the following two key areas:
- Making up the shortfall that low-income households face between the levels of support already committed and the overall rise in the cost of living in the year to April 2023 – on average this gap is £1,150. The most efficient way to achieve this would be through further payments through the social security system.
- Making debt deduction rates from benefits more affordable. Those subject to debt deductions face particularly high levels of hardship. This simple, low-cost action would enable people to keep more of their money and immediately relieve some of the financial pain they are enduring.
This will give low-income families the reassurance that they will receive sufficient support to weather the cost-of-living storm as it intensifies further this winter.
Claire Higgins, our CEO and Vice Chair of PlaceShapers, said: “The very nature of our business, providing homes to people who would struggle to afford to buy or rent at market rates, means our residents are often those with lower or variable incomes and, often, poorer health outcomes. They are disproportionately represented amongst those who will be unable to manage the even greater calls on their income this winter. This cannot be allowed to happen in a civilised society.
“As an organisation, and a whole sector, we are doing all we can to support our residents, and where possible the wider community, but our residents desperately need government intervention now. The measures currently in place, while welcome, are just simply not enough to make a meaningful difference to those who will be faced with the stark choice of heat or eat this winter.”
If you are struggling to pay your rent or would like advice on benefits you may be entitled to, or budgeting support, call our Income Management team on 01733 396483.