Nearly 10,000 people a day seeking help with cost of living
Citizens Advice says it's had the bleakest ever start to the year
Citizens Advice has helped a record 9,600 people a day on average between January and April, as the cost-of-living crisis led to its "bleakest-ever" start to year.
The charity says it helped 94,000 people with food bank referrals and access to emergency charitable grants.
That's a 178% increase on the same period in 2020.
Among them were more people who are homeless (14,300) than at any other time on record.
The number of private renters facing an eviction issue during the first four months of 2023 was 49% higher than the same period in 2020.
The number of people unable to afford to top up their energy prepayment meter has skyrocketed, with 10 times more people seeking the charity's help on this issue so far this year than in 2020.
The first quarter of 2023 saw more people than ever facing a monthly bills deficit - where their income did not cover their basic bills - with more than half of people seeking support for debt from Citizens Advice (51.6%) in this position, the charity said.
A record 32,400 people approached the charity with energy debt in the first four months of 2023 - a 112% increase on the same period in 2020.
'Too many people living on empty'
Citizens Advice chief executive, Dame Clare Moriarty, said: "The cost-of-living crisis is far from over. The fact we've experienced our bleakest-ever start of the year shows the government cannot afford to turn their gaze away from the issues people are facing.
"Millions of people are doing everything they can but it's still not enough. Too many people are living on empty, simply unable to pay their bills and put food on the table.
"And while staff and volunteers in local offices work tirelessly every day to help people, there's only so much we can do.
"We can see Government support helps, but more is needed in the future for struggling households.
"For many, life is getting worse, not better."
The cost of living crisis is affecting many:
Interest rates and inflation go up
Inflation rose by 8.8% in the 12 months to January 2023, down from 9.2% in December 2022. With interest rates also rising to 4%, those saving money will earn more interest on their finances, whilst those paying mortgages would pay more interest to the bank.
Energy bills
The price of energy went up incredibly as the cost of living crisis hit, with the gas price spike caused largely by the war in Ukraine. The price cap - which is set by an independent regulator to help offset costs onto customers - was set to rise to £3,549 for an average home in October but a price freeze from the government restricted the typical bill to £2,500. That's still an increase of 27% from the previous energy cap and as it's a cap on unit cost, the more energy you use the higher your bill will be.
Food prices
The cost of a weekly shop also has gone up as a result of the cost of living crisis. As a result of the war in Ukraine, a number of products including cooking oils and wheat have been disrupted. This means that several products are now considerably more expensive, driving bills up for customers.
Prices at the pumps
The average cost of petrol has also rose to unprecedented levels. Supply lines for petrol have been thrown into doubt as a result of the war in Ukraine, as Russia is a large export partner for gas, oil and fuel. In April 2022, the average price for a litre of petrol on the forecourt was 160.2p, whilst a litre of diesel would cost 170.5p. By late June 2022 the price had risen to an average of 190.9p for a litre of unleaded and 198.9p for a litre of diesel. In March 2023 the price wass on average of 147.03 in petrol and 167.04 in diesel.
Average cost of filling up a car with petrol hits £100
On 9th June 2022, the average cost of filling up a car with petrol hit £100 for the first time ever. Diesel had already hit that milestone. It comes as the cost of fuel hit a record high of one pound eighty a litre. The 2p rise was the biggest daily jump in 17 years. Prices have dropped by at least 20p per litre since the high point.