Emergency cost of living support payments have had negligible effect on the finances of millions of low-income households facing a “new normal” of debt, skipping meals and fuel poverty, according to a survey.
The latest cost of living tracker by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) found the government’s £900-a-year payments, which are paid in three £300 instalments, provided only short-lived respite for poorer households struggling to afford everyday basics from food to shampoo.
