More than half of Londoners earning below the “real living wage” have used foodbanks in the last year, according to a report commissioned by the Living Wage Foundation (LWF).
The Survation survey, cited by the Evening Standard, found that 23 per cent of low-paid workers in London used food banks on a weekly basis, with a further 28 per cent reporting occasional visits.
The findings highlight the financial challenges faced by some 574,000 Londoners earning less than £13.15 (more than $17) an hour – the minimum rate needed to cover the cost of living in the capital.
Two in five respondents said they had less than £10 a week left after covering basic expenses including housing, food, utilities and transport.
The foundation said the findings show that most low-paid workers have no provision for sudden loss of income and many have already faced “extreme hardship.” The report also found that more than 36% of such workers had regularly missed meals for financial reasons in the last year.
In response to these worrying figures, the government said it was “changing the rules to put more money in the pockets of working people” in a bid to reduce reliance on food banks, which it labelled “unacceptable.”
In addition, the study found that 45 per cent of low-paid Londoners feel worse off financially than they did a year ago, with only 16 per cent reporting feeling “somewhat better off.”
The findings highlight the difficulty of meeting basic needs in one of the world’s most expensive cities, despite the fact that around 15,000 businesses across the UK, including 4,000 in London, have voluntarily signed up to pay the real living wage developed by the LWF.
Katherine Chapman, director of the Living Wage Foundation, said:
Today’s research highlights the stark reality facing millions of low-paid workers, who are treading water and struggling to afford life’s essentials.
The LWF report calls for urgent action to tackle growing financial inequality as many workers continue to struggle despite stable employment.
