Almost half of low-income families with school age children expect to resort to cleaning their uniforms by hand. It comes as new research found many can't afford to use a washing machine.
The number of parents prepared to do so has trebled from previous years. Another stark sign of the crippling impact of sky-high bills. Charity National Energy Action also highlighted a huge rise in hard-up parents unable to afford proper school uniforms, reports the Mirror.
It emerged as many children prepare to return to school next week after the summer break, with some having their first day today. The findings come as the Conservatives still refuse to announce any new help for households hit with rocketing energy bills until either clear frontrunner Liz Truss or rival Rishi Sunak are confirmed as the new Prime Minister next week.
“As children head back to school for a new term, it might be hard to escape the pictures flooding social media of them lined up in pristine uniforms,” said Jess Cook, project development manager for water poverty at National Energy Action. “But for many low-income parents it’s an image that’s almost impossible to live up to.”
She added: “A clean school uniform may not seem remarkable, but a stained or dirty one, or one with the wrong items can see children getting singled out.”
A YouGou survey commissioned by the charity questioned low income families, defined as having an annual income of less than £20,000 a year. It found just under 48% with children at school this academic year said they “possibly” or “definitely” will wash uniform items by hand rather a washing machine in order to save money.
The number who said they had done so in the past was 16.5%. More than half said they would spot clean their children’s uniform with a sponge or cloth to avoid running the machine.
And almost four in 10 said they planned to ask a friend or family member to use their washing machine because they could no afford to put their own on. The findings come after energy regulator Ofgem confirmed last Friday that its price cap for customers on a standard tariff would surge by 80% to an average £3,549 a year from October 1.
Around 4.5million households with prepayment meters - which include many low income families - face having to find over £3,600 a year for gas and electricity. Think tank the Resolution Foundation says those on prepayment meters could face bills of £714 in January.
The leap in energy comes as households also face higher water bills, which jumped by up to 10.8% in England and Wales from April 1. National Energy Action says it risks worsening the issue of “water poverty”, which is already believed to affect as many as four million households.
The charity’s survey found almost a third of low-income parents have purposely bought items of uniform without a school logo, allowing them to buy more items and wash them less often. Now, nearly two-thirds say they possibly would or definitely will do this in the future.
And while one-fifth have in the past washed white items like shirts or polo shirts with dark items to avoid putting on a separate wash, to keep costs down, now it is 55%. The charity wants a single social water tariff, to increase awareness of water affordability support, and to target water efficiency measures at homes which are struggling.
It also backs the idea of a social tariff for energy and a new fuel debt support scheme. It comes as the End Fuel Poverty Coalition warned October’s energy price hikes will plunge many more households than feared into poverty.
The group estimates that 21 million people in around nine million homes face fuel poverty this winter. The figure could jump to around 28 million people in 12 million households from January if energy prices surge again and unless urgent action is taken by the Government.
A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition added: “The households affected in these numbers all face a real risk of making daily economic sacrifices that compromise their standard of living, with many of them at risk of health complications caused by living in a cold damp home.”
