One in 10 young parents turning to food banks and skipping meals over money worries

One in 10 young parents has used food banks and many skip meals because they cannot afford to eat properly, according to a report.

Research by the Young Women’s Trust suggested young parents with secondary school age children are most likely to receive supplies from food banks.

A survey of 4,000 people aged 18 to 30 indicated that one in four was always in debt, while barriers faced by mothers in finding work put a greater strain on their finances.

Joe Levenson of the Young Women’s Trust said: “Parents want to give their children the best but are facing huge financial challenges, especially over this Christmas period.

“A shocking number are having to skip meals or turn to food banks in order to feed their children, and many are getting into debt.

“They are telling us they want to be financially independent but a combination of low pay and high childcare costs prevents that.

“It doesn’t help that young people are entitled to less financial support and lower wages for no other reason than their age.”

A Government spokesman said: “We’re committed to ensuring families get the support they need, and there are now one million fewer people living in absolute poverty compared with 2010.

“Both the employment rate and household incomes have never been higher and there a fewer children living in workless households than ever before.

“For those families that need extra support, we are spending £90 billion a year on working-age benefits and with Universal Credit, working parents can claim back up to 85% of eligible childcare costs compared to 70% on the legacy benefit system.”

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