Cost-of-living crisis: Just £29 left after bills for a quarter of Northern Ireland families, say Consumer Council

Around a quarter of households had less than £30 to spare once essentials like food, heating and electricity is paid for each week during the first three months of this year, according to research by the Northern Ireland Consumer Council amid soaring prices.

The situation could be worse still at present, with prices continuing to rise in recent months.

The finding comes from the consumer council’s new ‘household expenditure tracker’ that weighs the cost of essentials against income.

For those in the bottom quarter of earners during January, February and March this year, households had only an estimated £29 available each week to act as a buffer in case of unexpected bills once the price of essentials was taken into account.

A spokesperson for the consumer council said: “This is the largest drop in discretionary income since the pandemic and is a sharp 55.1% drop from Quarter One of 2021.”

Noyona Chundur, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Consumer Council, said: “These households spent almost half of their income after tax on rent, energy, food, and transport in the first three months of this year, before many of the largest price increases.

“For many, it is not a choice of heating or eating, as the sad and unthinkable reality is that many citizens cannot afford either. With vulnerable households having only £29 per week available, one unexpected bill is all it takes to reach this point.”

The consumer council said its ‘Northern Ireland Household Expenditure Tracker’ is intended to inform government about the status of the cost-of-living crisis, and will be released quarterly.