A mum-of-two from Leeds has said her family’s energy bills have risen so much that she contemplating raiding bins outside supermarkets to feed her children.
Lauran Warren, who lives in Holbeck, told LeedsLive that despite living frugally, she and her husband Martyn are struggling to make ends meet. Their gas and electricity bill has doubled this month after the energy price cap was lifted by the government.
It means the family of four now spend £411 a month on their gas and electricity bill. They previously paid around £220 a month.
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“We were in credit a month ago,” said Lauran, “but it’s just jumped up. It has pretty much doubled.”
The family were already struggling to get by in the early months of this year, but they thought their financial concerns would ease a little after Lauran landed a job as a trainee chef last month. However, most of her money will now be spent on covering the rise in energy bills.
“It’s a double blow for me because I have just got a new job for the first time in eight years,” said Lauran. “I have only been there for three weeks and I haven’t even my first paycheque yet. Now basically all my money is going on my bills.”
Despite dad Martyn’s salary from his job as a reptile specialist, it has left the family struggling to put food on the table for their two daughters, aged eight and 10.
Lauran said: "We have always lived frugally and worn slippers and jumpers in the house. The heating is on a thermostat anyway and it only comes on for about four or five hours a day.
“I’ve started thinking about skip-diving when the shops close. I’ve never considered doing it myself and I had never even thought about doing this a year ago. I don’t want to do it but I will if I have to.
“I’ve even started considering getting an air rifle to get things to eat. I’m a survivor by nature.”
Lauran’s admission comes after thousands of families took part in a poll run by Facebook group leedsplace about their energy bills. More than half of all people (58 per cent) who responded said they are likely to pay more than £2,000 a year on gas and electricity alone.
But Lauran and Martyn now face paying almost £5,000 a year on their bills, according to the latest statement from their provider.
“It makes me feel hopeless,” said Lauran. “We shouldn't have to do this in England. It’s just ridiculous that it’s come to this.”
The situation is similar for thousands of families all over Leeds. Analysis by LeedsLive has revealed almost a quarter of all children in Leeds are living in poverty. There were 45,726 children in Leeds living below the breadline in March 2021, even before the cost of housing was taken into account. The number has increased from 45,004 in March 2020.
Imran Hussain, director of policy and campaigns at Action for Children, said: "These figures show the Chancellor’s actions to boost incomes at the start of the pandemic lifted hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty, but the Treasury’s relative inaction to help families on low incomes in today’s cost of living crisis is likely to see any progress lost and child poverty climb again.
"As prices continue to rise, more low-income parents we support who were just about managing could go under, with no tips, tricks or hacks left to stretch their income over the month.”
Last month, money-saving expert Martin Lewis said he was “nearly out out of tools” to help struggling households. He tweeted: “So many people at crisis point. Govt must intervene."
A government spokesperson said: “We continue to provide extensive support to help families with the cost of living, backed up by over £22 billion of targeted investment to help low-income households.
“This includes putting an average of £1,000 more per year into the pockets of working families via changes to Universal Credit, cutting fuel duty and helping households with their energy bills through our £9.1 billion Energy Bills Rebate.”
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