Poverty now 'endemic' in Wales, report warns

OVERTY "has become endemic and grinding in Wales", an influential think tank has warned in a damning new report.

- ABBIE WIGHTWICK

> The Bevan Foundation report says the lives of thousands of families across Wales 'continue to be blighted by poverty'

YouGov on behalf of the Bevan Foundation have revealed families in Wales are continuing to struggle to make ends meet, with almost one in eight (12%) sometimes, often or always struggling to afford the essentials.

While the cost-of-living crisis has eased slightly, the document adds the lives of hundreds of thousands of families across Wales "continue to be blighted by poverty".

Responding to the report, the Welsh Government said it has invested more than £7bn between 2022 and 2026 to support households through programmes to alleviate financial pressures.

Joel Davies from the Bevan Foundation said: "While for some households, finances might be feeling slightly less stretched, our new data shows that hardship remains at far greater levels than before the cost-of-living crisis began.

"People continue to struggle with the most basic essentials of food and energy in particular, and can't afford to replace basic clothing and household essentials when they wear out."

The survey was based on a sample size of 2,003 who responded to questions online between September 25 and October 6 this year.

It found food and energy costs continue to be unaffordable for large proportions of the population and a quarter of adults (24%) said they have skipped meals for themselves or cut down on the size of meals in the three months to the survey.

Figures in the survey also show a quarter (24%) have gone without heating in the home in the same period.