The news of the energy cap increase has left many people feeling anxious and hopeless.
We fund hundreds of organisations fighting against poverty across London. Together they represent a body of experts on London’s social issues. They are the people working on the frontline to make lives better for Londoners, carrying out cutting edge research and providing concrete solutions.
And they’re working hard to turn frustrations into action. Here we round up what a few of these organisations are saying about the challenges being experienced in London, what needs to be done and how you can help.
The most effective way to provide support to families is by making sure everyone has a fair income, suitable to meet the cost of living in the capital.
London needs to become a living wage city. Every employer must join the movement and pay employees at least a living wage.
Some of our grantees are joining calls for the government to invest in the social security system to alleviate the cost-of-living crisis.
As well as providing short term relief to the most vulnerable in our society, investment and improvements to the welfare system would provide longer term solutions, and give households across the UK a fair income.
We fund the Commission on Social Security, a group of experts by experience calling for a new, decent social security system.
With the debate from government politicians centred on tax cuts, our grantees have been filling the gap and offering concrete, sensible policy solutions.
Although rising energy bills will affect everyone, the poor will be hit the hardest. Low-income families may have to cut spending up to 3x as much as high-income households in order to afford energy bills.
The New Economics Foundation is calling for a tougher windfall tax on energy companies that have announced huge profits in recent weeks, which could then be used to lessen the blow on people with lower and middle incomes.
Fair By Design’s work has shown the extent of the poverty premium – the extra costs incurred by people on low-incomes, including higher energy bills. To provide a vital lifeline for low-income families, it’s calling for a social tariff on energy bills. Find out what this means:
This brilliant thread by Resolution Foundation outlines how a social tariff could work to protect the poorest households.
The cost-of-living crisis is worsening existing inequalities – and those who already experience inequality will suffer more, as highlighted by Runnymede Trust.
Our partners Inclusion London are calling for people to write to their MP to abolish social care charging and the additional costs faced by many Disabled people on top of the cost-of-living-crisis.
We also need to remember that the single biggest driver of poverty in London is housing costs. We need to protect renters – Generation Rent is calling for a rent freeze, and leading a petition to stop no-fault evictions.
We can’t ignore the link between poverty and poor mental health, and how much worse the cost-of-living crisis could make this. Centre for Mental Health is calling for our next PM to take immediate action.
We can all work to keep calling for these solutions and the many others being offered by civil society however we can. Write to your MP, share with your networks, sign petitions: the implications of the cost-of-living crisis and the new energy price cap are stark, but change is possible.