About 40% of adults in the UK say they have more or less difficulty paying their energy bills, according to a survey by the country’s National Statistics Office, according to Bloomberg.
About 91% said their cost of living had risen, with most citing increases in fuel, gas and electricity prices and food markets as the reasons, according to a survey published on Friday. Four in 10 said they bought less when shopping for food, up from about three in 10 in a previous ONS survey.
Consumers in the UK are struggling with rising energy bills, higher taxes and stronger inflation over the past three decades. Britain’s top energy suppliers have warned of a huge increase in the number of people who are late in paying their bills. Households are also increasingly relying on food banks for emergency assistance, indicating that the cost-of-living crisis is accelerating and is likely to drag more people into poverty.
The latest ONS survey covers the period April 13-24, when nearly 5,000 randomly selected households were sampled. Compared to the previous survey from March 30 to April 10, when a similar number of households participated.
Ever since the ONS first conducted such a survey in November, the percentage of adults who believe they will not be able to save money over the next 12 months has gradually risen from 34% to 42%.
The Trussell Trust, which supports a network of 1,400 food banks, said aid package deliveries rose 14% to 2.1 million a year through March from pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels. The growth rate increased by 10% in the third quarter of last year.
Source: Capital
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