More than 200,000 children in Yorkshire and the Humber are living in 120,000 families trapped in problem debt, new research by The Children’s Society reveals.
It means more than one in six families with children in the region (18%) have been failing to keep up with household bills and loan repayments in the past year.
The evidence, based on a survey commissioned by the charity, also shows that families with children are more than twice as likely to have been trapped in problem debt as childless households.
In some cases children are going without basics such as food, clothing or heating, as well as suffering worry, anxiety and bullying.
The most common source of problem debt is arrears on energy bills, followed by loans from friends and family, bank loans, and council tax.
The Children’s Society has found that problem debt is putting stress on family relationships, damaging children and trapping families in a downward spiral of borrowing.
The Children’s Society, as part of its Debt Trap Campaign, is calling for changes to how creditors treat families with children who fall behind on bills and repayments. It is urging the Government to introduce a 12-month ‘breathing space’ scheme to give struggling families a period of protection from additional charges, mounting interest and enforcement action while they seek advice, put their finances in order, and get back on their feet.
Rob Jackson, Yorkshire and Humber Area Director at The Children’s Society, said: “Again and again we have raised the urgent problem of families who are trapped by debt, and whose children often pay the price with their mental and physical health.”
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