Tag Archives: fuel poverty
Government’s bedroom tax forces carers to cut back on food
Emily Dugan Author Tuesday 09 July 2013
Carers are being forced to cut back on essentials such as food and electricity because of the so-called bedroom tax.
Despite Government promises to protect them from the under-occupancy charge, one in six carers forced to pay it are falling behind on their rent and face eviction, research by Carers UK shows.
Campaigners say the charge on ‘spare’ bedrooms in social housing has had a particularly devastating impact on those caring for disabled family members, who often need the extra room. Three quarters of carers having to pay it are being forced to cut back on essential spending on food, electricity and heating.
Heléna Herklots Chief Executive of Carers UK said: “This policy is having a shocking impact on families already struggling to care for seriously ill or disabled loved ones. Carers, whose contribution is often warmly praised by ministers, are being made to feel like they are being punished. These are carers who need an extra room just to get a few hours of sleep as they care 24/7 for a disabled child, or who are unable to share with a partner because of serious illness.”
The benefit sanctions regime has “gone too far”, leading “to destitution, hardship and hunger
Half a million people in Britain rely on food banks
Huge cuts to welfare reform have left more than half a million people in Britain reliant on foodbanks to feed themselves or their family, a shocking report by a group of charities has revealed.
Church Action Poverty and Oxfam, with the backing of the Trussell Trust, are calling for a parliamentary inquiry into the relationship between benefit delay, error or sanctions, welfare reform changes and the growth of Britain’s ‘hidden hungry.’
“The shocking reality is that hundreds of thousands of people in the UK are turning to food aid. Cuts to social safety-nets have gone too far, leading to destitution, hardship and hunger on a large scale. It is unacceptable that this is happening in the seventh wealthiest nation on the planet,” said Mark Goldring, Oxfam’s CEO.
Help for carers and other residents to keep warm in North Norfolk
Almost 2,000 in North Norfolk to save money on energy bills
Monday, April 15, 2013
3:31 PM
Almost 2,000 north Norfolk households are set for a spring cut to their electricity and gas bills, having signed up for a pioneering scheme. Across the district, 2,796 homes registered with Big Switch and Save, with 71pc expected to save money.
