Rachelle's research focuses on decent and affordable housing, and fiscal and economic policy. Rachelle previously worked as an analyst at the New Zealand Treasury, where she coordinated the Budgets, including implementing the first Wellbeing Budget in 2019. She also worked on housing policy, focusing on social and emergency housing in New Zealand.
Email: rachelle.earwaker@jrf.org.uk
Twitter: @r_earwaker
Millions of people are still in the grip of high and rising prices, a rapid rise in interest rates, and a deteriorating job market. This remains a dangerously evolving crisis. The Autumn Statement must address the breadth and depth of hardship in the UK - anything less will be a failure.
As the cost of living crisis enters a dangerous new phase, it's pushed millions of people to rely on unsecured lending as a last resort to pay for bills and essentials. With interest rates rising, and inflation stubbornly high, it's unclear how much more pressure this strategy can bear.
JRF’s latest cost of living tracker shows that almost half of low-income mortgage holders were behind on their bills before June’s interest rate rise – they must not be ignored as the Government and Bank of England look to reduce UK inflation levels.
This new research shows persistently high levels of hardship in the UK, with the numbers of low-income households going without essentials or in arrears not having budged in over a year.
This report makes clear that the Government support provided so far in the cost of living crisis hasn’t been sufficient to stem the rising tide of hardship for millions of families on the lowest incomes up and down the country.
New measures will significantly limit low-income families’ exposure to rising costs next year. But as attention shifts to 2023, they are about to face the worst winter many will remember.
Like poverty in general, very deep poverty is higher for people in households headed by someone of black, Asian and minority ethnicity. In this blog, Peter and Rachelle look at important differences in both the levels and trends of very deep poverty, and the impact of the cost of living crisis for different ethnic groups.
JRF is calling on the Government to immediately stop deducting debt repayments from benefits at unaffordable rates, and to strengthen our social security safety net so that people aren’t forced to choose between going without the essentials or getting into debt.
With a very real risk that the Government’s Elections Bill currently making its way through Parliament will disenfranchise around 1.7 million low-income voters, we urge the House of Lords to take a stand.