The number of families turning to payday loan firms so they can pay energy bills has soared, plunging many into debt, a Mirror investigation reveals
Millions of British children are at risk of health problems because hard-up parents battered by coalition cuts cannot afford to heat their homes properly.
And the number of desperate families turning to payday loan firms so they can pay energy bills has soared plunging many into horrendous debt, a Mirror investigation reveals.
Three million householders revealed they have cut back on food in a bid to keep the heating on longer.
Harsh Tory-led austerity measures, crippling rises in the cost of living and wage freezes mean more people are having to choose between eating and heating, despite knowing the cold and damp can cause a range of health problems in children such as asthma.
The shocking results of our investigation with the Children’s Society and YouGov shows the unprecedented pressure on family budgets as stubborn David Cameron continues his assault on Britain’s poorest.
And Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu said the survey should shame the Government.
He said: “It is a scandal that millions of children in this country are being forced to live in cold, damp homes.
“Parents are being forced to choose between the basics… food or warmth. In a society where all people are valued, whether they are old or young, it is our duty to care for one another.
“This report gets it right. I hope it leads to a change of heart. All children are our national treasure.”
Chief executive of the Children’s Society Matthew Reed added: “The poorest are desperately struggling to make ends meet, as they face the tough choice between heating or eating.
“A new ‘heat or eat’ generation is growing up in Britain today, a shame on any government.”
Labour MP Grahame Morris said: “I think it’s a terrible indictment of three years of coalition government, and the policies they have pursued, that have left poor families in dire straits.
“I’m really concerned with what’s happening with payday lenders over Christmas. People are desperate. This cost of living crisis is biting hardest at those who are least able to meet the costs and they are getting deeper and deeper into debt.”
The Centre for Responsible Credit warned the rising cost of living plays into the hands of short-term loan firms, who charge sky high interest repayments.
Director Damon Gibbons said: “It is often the case that where households include small children or people with disabilities the option of cutting back on heating is not one they are prepared to take. Those families fall under pressure to keep the heating on.
“In the cost of living crisis we are going through, at a time when wages are stagnant, they are driven into the arms of high-cost lenders.”
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