Third of Parents of Disabled Children Took Out Loans to Cover Electricity Bills
PRESTON, England, June 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
Families with disabled children are struggling to keep their heads above water financially and many are finding it difficult to pay their electricity and heating bills, according to a recent survey.
Findings by charity 'Contact A Family' reveal that a third of parents with disabled children took out a loan last year to buy basic household necessities like food and heating. And 40% of families said they had fallen behind in their expenses for energy, council tax and mortgage payments.
The research, dubbed 'Counting the Costs 2012', found that one in six parents who are in work cannot afford to heat their homes and for families whose parents are not work because of their caring responsibilities, almost a third strain to pay their bills. Around 40% have fallen behind payments for gas and electricity bills.
But worryingly, 24% of 2,300 families surveyed confessed that the extra costs of bringing up a disabled child resulted in them occasionally going without food. The charity says that it costs on average three times more to raise a disabled child because of additional needs like specialist transport, clothing and equipment.
What is more, 58% admitted that they fear their financial situation will deteriorate over the next year and 73% believe the welfare reforms will make them poorer. Households can cut costs and save money on energy bills with the help of the experts at Electricity Prices.
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