Mum on Universal Credit forced to eat daughter's dinner scraps to survive
dailyrecord.co.ukA mum forced to eat her daughter's leftovers as she is too ill to work has blasted Jeremy Hunt's autumn statement. Charlene Hughes relies on food banks and is medically unable to work due to mental health issues and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
This week the chancellor announced that, alongside a 6.7% rise in Universal Credit, claimants who do not get a job within 18 months will be going on work placements in a bid to get them back into employment.But Charlene claims the proposed increase will still leave her struggling to buy essentials amid the cost of living crisis.
She watched the statement, and said the rise would only equate to around £10 extra a week.The Mirror reports the 36-year-old, of Devon, told the PA news agency: "As a single parent, £10 a week would basically buy bread, butter, milk and juice - that's pretty much all I could get. "I watched [the statement] and I thought 'wow' - it hit home a little bit.
My heating bills are around £2,500, which are in arrears, so £10 a week doesn't really go very far. I basically live off what my daughter doesn't eat and food bank stuff. "The thought's nice, but it doesn't really help people like myself." Ms Hughes said she had "always worked" until she got Covid.
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