Worcester University’s Student Union sets up breakfast club to help students
The Union says some students skip meals or have just one meal a day due to the cost-of-living crisis
Worcester University’s Student Union sets up a breakfast club to support students amid the cost-of-living crisis.
The Union says some students often skip a meal or have just one meal a day and that many cannot afford the basics.
Opening for two hours, the Union said 100 students turned up for the free breakfast.
This is the second time the Union has held a breakfast club, with the first one earlier in the month feeding over 60 students.
Earlier in the year, the Union setup a ‘cost of living working group’ to discuss how they could support students following an increase in demand.
The Union is using the officer's fund to buy food for students and says students are suffering.
It is not just students who are seeking support, some staff members are also turning to the Union for help.
Along with the need for food, the Union says more students are seeking mental health support, with the waiting time to see a counsellor in the local area being up to two years.
The President of the Student’s Union, Al Linforth, said business at the Union bar is down as students simply cannot afford a night out.
In addition, Linforth added: “Students are begging for more hours to work at the student run bar and shop to make ends meet.”
Cost of living crisis
Interest rates and inflation go up
Inflation rose by 8.8% in the 12 months to January 2023, down from 9.2% in December 2022. With interest rates also rising to 4%, those saving money will earn more interest on their finances, whilst those paying mortgages would pay more interest to the bank.
Energy bills
The price of energy went up incredibly as the cost of living crisis hit, with the gas price spike caused largely by the war in Ukraine. The price cap - which is set by an independent regulator to help offset costs onto customers - was set to rise to £3,549 for an average home in October but a price freeze from the government restricted the typical bill to £2,500. That's still an increase of 27% from the previous energy cap and as it's a cap on unit cost, the more energy you use the higher your bill will be.
Food prices
The cost of a weekly shop also has gone up as a result of the cost of living crisis. As a result of the war in Ukraine, a number of products including cooking oils and wheat have been disrupted. This means that several products are now considerably more expensive, driving bills up for customers.
Prices at the pumps
The average cost of petrol has also rose to unprecedented levels. Supply lines for petrol have been thrown into doubt as a result of the war in Ukraine, as Russia is a large export partner for gas, oil and fuel. In April 2022, the average price for a litre of petrol on the forecourt was 160.2p, whilst a litre of diesel would cost 170.5p. By late June 2022 the price had risen to an average of 190.9p for a litre of unleaded and 198.9p for a litre of diesel. In March 2023 the price wass on average of 147.03 in petrol and 167.04 in diesel.
Average cost of filling up a car with petrol hits £100
On 9th June 2022, the average cost of filling up a car with petrol hit £100 for the first time ever. Diesel had already hit that milestone. It comes as the cost of fuel hit a record high of one pound eighty a litre. The 2p rise was the biggest daily jump in 17 years. Prices have dropped by at least 20p per litre since the high point.