The UK Health Security Agency issued a weather alert on Thursday warning vulnerable people to keep their homes warm as “dangerously cold” weather is arriving from the arctic.
The notice recommends people heat their homes to at least 18°C, wear several layers of thinner clothing, and have plenty of hot food and drinks to keep their body temperature at normal levels.
The government further announced that eligible people on the lowest incomes in over 300 postcode districts in Wales and England are set to receive a £25 Cold Weather Payment which will be paid only when the average temperature is 0°C or less for seven days in a row.
But according to the results of a survey conducted by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, “over 750,000 low-income households said they didn’t have enough money to provide warm clothes and heating for them and their families.”
A fifth of all low-income households, which is approximately 2.5 million, are going without food and heating, the report adds. “This rises to over a quarter for those on the bottom 20% of incomes.”
Surveying 4,251 people in the bottom 40% of incomes, the study revealed that 4.3 million low-income households reduced their spending on heating ahead of the cold snap.
Moreover, over 7 million households have gone without at least one of the essentials since June, and 2.4 million low-income households have borrowed money or used credit to pay for their bills so far this year.
“The government must see that families will not be able to get through the winter on the current levels of support,” said JRF analyst, Rachelle Earwaker, as quoted by The Guardian.
“For hundreds of thousands of households it is not a choice between putting the heating on or not. Our research shows they cannot afford anything recommended to protect themselves from the effects of plummeting temperatures.”
“We are still experiencing historically high inflation and the prices of essentials are still soaring. Energy bills, while capped, are still almost double what they were last winter. Housing shortages, rising rents and mortgage payments are overburdening budgets across the country.”
“People are being forced to wager their financial health and whether they can afford more debt, against their wellbeing without sufficient heat, clothing or hot food.”
Source: The Gaurdian
