Households on universal credit are facing a 'winter of hardship'

The UK's poorest people face another winter of hardship, charities have warned, as research showed twothirds of working households on universal credit are struggling to afford food, energy and other essentials.

- Patrick Butler

The Trussell Trust, the UK's biggest food bank network, called for urgent action after revealing that half of people on universal credit -the UK's main low-income benefit - had run out of food in the past month, with a similar proportion falling behind on energy bills and debt payments.

Campaigners are challenging the government's focus on economic growth as the key to tackling poverty, warning that "tough decisions" on maintaining rigid fiscal discipline will not provide short-term relief for millions of low-income working families facing soaring living costs this winter.

Emma Revie, the chief executive of the Trussell Trust, said its research showed people were being "pushed to the doors of food banks" because of inadequate benefit support. "These findings show clearly that people cannot wait for an economic turnaround," she said.