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Single parents, renters, carers, people with disabilities and ethnic minorities are being disproportionately affected by the cost-of-living crisis, a Senedd committee has found.
Its findings also show people higher up the income scale are also struggling, with many working households in full-time employment turning to charities for support.
The Senedd’s Equality and Social Justice Committee published its report into debt caused by the cost-of-living crisis on Tuesday May 23, which says financial support from both the Welsh Government and UK Government risks being a “sticking plaster”.
What is the Senedd’s Equality and Social Justice Committee?
The Equality and Social Justice Committee has been set up by the Senedd to look at policy and legislation, and to hold the Welsh Government to account in specific areas. These areas include equality and human rights, fair work, community cohesion and safety, tackling poverty, and implementation of the Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015.
The Committee has six Members who come from the different parties represented in the Senedd, and is chaired by Jenny Rathbone MS
The committee is made up of:
- Jenny Rathbone MS, Welsh Labour (Chair)
- Jane Dodds MS, Welsh Liberal Democrats
- Altaf Hussain MS, Welsh Conservatives
- Sarah Murphy MS, Welsh Labour
- Ken Skates MS, Welsh Labour
- Sioned Williams MS, Plaid Cymru
Source: Senedd
The report calls on the Welsh Government to create a long-term cost-of-living plan focusing on preventative measures addressing the causes of poverty, rather than the symptoms.
As part of its inquiry into the situation, the committee heard from Citizens Advice Cymru, which said hundreds of thousands of people across Wales don’t have enough money to live on.
Jenny Rathbone MS, committee chair, said: “The cost-of-living crisis is having a devastating impact on the health and wealth of our nation and too many households are facing unacceptable hardships beyond their control.
“Prices of food, heating and other basic essentials have soared and governments have been playing catch-up in their response to the scale of these challenges. Interventions have only softened the blow.”
Ms Rathbone continued: “The most important levers on economic policy – tax and spend, and the benefits system, are under the control of the UK Government in London.
“This report looks at the Welsh Government’s response, described as a lifeline by many. There are concerns about what happens next as support tapers off and households face permanently higher prices.”
The report also calls on the Welsh Government to take other measures, such as improving energy efficiency in homes and investing in skills, green energy and food security, as well as closely monitoring the impact of rising prices on different groups.
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