New analysis from County Durham Labour has revealed more than 106,000 are missing meals in the county as a direct impact of the cost-of-living crisis.
The research, by Kantar and More In Common, revealed the staggering figure, with research also showing that 272,000 county residents being forced to cut down on electricity or heating and 42,600 forced to use a foodbank.
Publishing the analysis, County Durham Labour Leader, Cllr Carl Marshall, said:
“As the cost-of-living crisis deepens, families in County Durham are being forced to make some heart-breaking choices.
“People need help, but instead of stepping in, the Conservatives continue to make things worse. As we learn that the Tory-led Coalition running Durham County Council has blown a hole in council finances, so the irresponsible actions of the Government crash the British economy. As we all struggle to pay astronomical energy bills, cover rising rents and spiralling food prices, the disastrous mini budget has added thousands to our mortgage payments!
“After 12 years of failure in Government and 18 months of disastrous stewardship of Durham County Council, the Conservatives are financially crippling our communities. Labour is ready to restore sanity and stability our national and local economies with fully-funded growth plans – led by real investment to secure the green jobs of the future.”
In the wider North East, over half a million people are skipping meals as they try and mitigate the impact of the cost of living crisis, with 1.3m cutting down on heating and electrical usage and more than 214,000 relying on foodbanks.
County Durham Labour’s Shadow Member for Social Inclusion, Cllr Angela Surtees, said:
“What is more important than ensuring people don’t go hungry? In these uncertain times, it is devastating that thousands of families in County Durham are dependent on foodbanks and can no longer afford to heat their homes.
“The Government must do more – Labour has submitted motion asking the County Council to write to the Government and demand it ensures young people receive a free meal when at school, but our motion wasn’t even acknowledged at the last Full Council.
“This Council must stop kowtowing to this chaotic Government – that felt it appropriate to shut down for months during its leadership campaign – and call on it deliver more support for hungry families.”