NI HOMES JUST £24 SPARE A WEEK

NORTHERN Ireland’s lowest earning households have seen their spare cash cut in half to just £24 a week, new figures have revealed.

The Consumer Council research found the “discretionary income” of the households, defined as the bottom 25% of the population, has been reduced by 46.1% compared to a year ago.

The money left after bills are paid is now down to £24.41 for the quarter April, May, June from £45.32. The Council defines the spare cash as the money left each week “after bills and living expenses”.

The figures come from the Consumer Council’s latest NI Household Expenditure Tracker, which is published on a quarterly basis and tracks the “changes to income and expenditure for the lowest earning households here”.