He is one of the growing number of people for whom the cost of living crisis not only makes it difficult to cope – but they are sinking into the red or deeper into debt. “I’m paying for it little by little,” he told Sky News. “But I’ll probably be dead before it ‘s over. This is life.” Kerry works two days a week as a health care assistant in a mental health unit. We met her in Kingston, London on her first visit to a food bank. He said: “I’m not lazy. I work hard. I enjoy my job. I get help from the government. “But it is not enough. Because of the cost of living that has become very, very high. Every month you go deeper and deeper into debt, I mean, obviously, this is a big burden to carry with you.” Kerry begins to cry, raising her glasses to wipe away tears as she tells us how she struggles to explain to her 12-year-old daughter why money is so tight even though she works. “I do not always want to tell my daughter that I can not do it. The other time she asked me ‘my mom keeps saying you have no money but you work’”. “He does not understand. So it is very difficult. The only way out is if the low-income people get the help they need.” Image: Kerry was visiting a food bank for the first time “A crisis we can not keep up” The food bank is run by the charity Trussell Trust – which has revealed that the most common form of debt is now owed to the government – with almost half of those who say they owe debt for things like advances being issued while it is a universal credit the application is processed or the overdue tax liabilities of the municipality are taken from their benefits. Paul Pickhaver of Kingston Foodbank said: “We are seeing an increase in people who may feel they are in control or just in control. “Now this thing is a crisis we can not watch.” Image: Paul Pickhaver of Kingston Foodbank says crisis is at the point where food banks can not keep up New data from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows how debt is becoming more and more of a problem for people struggling with rising prices. A survey of low-income households – those at the bottom 40% – found that 4.6 million households owe at least one account. He also noted that personal lending has more than doubled in the past seven months and that 1.3 million households have used credit to cover basic necessities such as food. Katie Schmuecker, the foundation’s Chief Policy Adviser, said: “Our research shows the scary year that low-income families have had so far. “Families up and down the country have been faced with a difficult choice. They could be left behind in accounts, find it difficult to make ends meet, or take on expensive, high-interest debts. “No one should be in this precarious position. The government must stop slipping from emergency to emergency and tackle this problem. “One simple thing they can do right now to make a difference is to stop deducting debt repayments from bonuses at unaffordable interest rates.” Follow the Daily Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker A government spokesman said: “We know people are facing rising prices due to global pressures, so we are providing targeted assistance to at least 200 1,200 to eight million low-income families – welcomed by the JRF – while supporting people to earn more, including tax reduction of £ 300 per year in July and allowing Universal Credit plaintiffs to retain £ 1,000 more than they earn. “We have both reduced the amount that can be received through bookings twice in recent years to no more than 25%, and we have doubled the amount of time they can be repaid. “This strikes a balance between people who maintain a significant portion of their pay and ensure that priority debts are paid, such as child nutrition which is vital to the parents raising the children.” Read more: See if you can guess how much some items have changed in price in the last year Threat of “summer of dissatisfaction” that is not unique to the UK
