The cost of living crisis

Many thanks to Wokingham Today for their excellent coverage of the

Cost of Living Crisis and signposting to where residents can get help from the council and local charities. In order to help those most affected by the crisis it is important to understand who they are.

Women make up the majority of low earners, spend more of their income on household bills (especially those that spike with inflation), and have fewer savings to fall back on.

90% of single parents are women.

An analysis by the New Economics Forum shows single parents will spend 56% more disposable income on higher bills compared to the average family. Women are more likely to have responsibility for unpaid work, including care and domestic work which means they have less time for paid work. Without affordable childcare parents, usually women, are prevented from taking on paid work. Nationally it is estimated 1.7 million women are prevented from taking on more hours of paid work due to childcare costs.

The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, had an opportunity to address this in his spring statement yet, as with every other budget statement, there was no mention of women. The measures announced won’t make things better for the majority of women. Men are more likely to drive and drive longer distances than women therefore fuel duty cuts will benefit men more.

Cuts mean there is less money for public transport which women are more likely to rely on. Scrapping VAT on home insulation will only benefit those who can afford a house.

The Women’s Budget Group found that there is no region in England where a single woman on median earnings can afford to rent or buy an averagely priced house.

One in three families now spend a third of their monthly budget on childcare fees. Despite the cost of childcare in the UK being the highest in OECD countries, and the focus of this statement on families, there was no mention of childcare.

Without urgent support, many more mothers will be forced to leave their jobs or cut their hours. By prioritising tax cuts over investment in public services and social security, the Chancellor has prioritised men over women. The poorest people would have been helped much more by a benefit uplift in line with inflation, than they will from any changes to the national insurance threshold. And it would have cost the government less.

I’m delighted to hear that an extra £500,000 has been agreed by Wokingham Borough Council to support their anti-poverty strategy for the borough. I urge the council to ensure they really understand who is most impacted locally by this cost of living crisis, and to tailor their support to ensure those most affected get the help they deserve.

Louise Timlin, Branch Lead - Reading and Wokingham

Women’s Equality Party