Single parents hit hardest by 'awful April' bill rises

A series of essential household bills are rising at the start of April, with warnings that single parents are among the hardest hit.

Water bills, energy prices and council tax are all going up on Tuesday , although the minimum wage is also increasing.

The charity Citizens Advice said the finances of millions of people on the lowest incomes were "already stretched to breaking point".

Many single parents in particular would struggle because a greater proportion of their money was taken up by essential spending, it said.

Laura Roan, a single mother of two daughters from Cardiff, said: "Without my own mum helping, there would be some days when I would not have any electric."

The 41-year-old, who works part-time in Asda, is using emergency credit on her energy meter and regularly dips into her overdraft.

Read more on the April bill rises

"I got paid last Friday and it has all gone. I just live day to day."

She said her five-year-old daughter Prudence brought her joy and often took her mind off the financial challenges they faced.

Those challenges are increasing as a host of price rises kick in. The costs of a TV licence, car tax, and broadband and phone bills are among those going up in cost.

Among the changes:

"After years of cost-of-living pressures, households across the country are about to feel the extra shock of rising essential bills," said Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice.

"For those on the lowest incomes, these unavoidable costs are already eating away at their finances, leaving their budgets stretched beyond breaking point."

The charity said households in the lowest 10% for income were already spending around two fifths (41%) of their earnings - after housing - on water, energy, broadband and car insurance bills. That was a considerably bigger proportion than those on higher incomes.

"We both work nearly 200 hours a month, and it is still a stretch. We're rejiggling finances again and again," he said.

"If we can try to get any additional shifts in our rest days to get that extra income, it's frustrating because those rest days should be family time.

"You shouldn't have to turn around to your kids and say that you can't afford to go on holiday."

Benefits and the state pension are going up in a week's time. Wages have also been rising at a faster pace than the rate of inflation, and the start of April also brings an increase in the minimum wage. It means:

In addition, experts say there are ways to cut costs to keep household bills as low as possible.

"Our research shows that switching providers if you're out of contract can slash broadband, pay TV and mobile bills by up to £235," said Emily Seymour, from the consumer group Which?.

"It's also worth checking if you're eligible for any council tax reductions or exemptions and could save money by installing a water meter."

Some of the UK's biggest banks have also said they would pro-actively contact customers they believed were struggling financially to offer assistance.

Additional reporting by Kris Bramwell & Bernadette McCague.