A HARD-UP mum says she is forced to choose between heating her home or flushing the toilet as she can’t afford soaring energy bills.
Gemma Widdowfield, from Luton, Beds, says she is struggling to keep up with the cost of living while trying to support herself and her three-year-old daughter on a single income.
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With her monthly gas and electric bills doubling after her Universal Credit was slashed by £20 a week, the 36-year-old says she faces “impossible decisions” as she attempts to save money.
She says she tries to cut corners by working from home in a thermal hat and layers instead of turning on the heating.
“I want the government to consider what it must feel like to have to keep the heating turned off on the coldest days of the year, or to limit the number of times you flush the toilet in order to save water,” Gemma told the
“This is the real impact of the double whammy of rising living costs and a cut to benefits.
“I work from home, usually at the top of the house where it’s a little warmer. I wear a thermal hat and lots of layers as I can’t warrant turning the heating on just for myself.”
Gemma says she keeps the heating off all day so she can afford to switch it on when daughter Poppy gets home from nursery.
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According to officials figures released today by the Office for National Statistics, inflation has skyrocketed to its highest live in 30 years – rising by 5.4 per cent as of last month.
As the cost of living surges, Gemma – who works as senior investigations officer at a local council – has begged the government to reinstate the £20 uplift.
The government introduced a £20 a week raise to help claimants through the coronavirus pandemic in April 2020.
Although it was a “lifeline” for millions of families struggling to get by due to the Covid crisis, it was not made permanent – and was ditched in October.
‘”This slash to incomes came at the worst possible time, just as the furlough scheme came to an end for millions of people and the cost of living started to increase dramatically,” Gemma added.
“That £20 a week was a lifeline that paid for my daughter’s packed lunches and her food for the week.
“But now I’m forced to try and find that money elsewhere, either by using credit cards or by making tough sacrifices and going without certain things myself.”
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