4.2 million adults in the UK are unable to afford basic hygiene essentials, such as razors, laundry detergent or deodorant. Hygiene poverty disproportionately impacts the most vulnerable and puts families in impossible situations. It is limiting life chances and blocking opportunities. So, today, The Hygiene Bank wanted to hear from the Chancellor about measures that will help people across the UK who are facing the impossible choice between putting food on the table and buying the essential items they need to stay clean.
Some of the measures announced today are welcome as they take important steps towards supporting those on low incomes, THB especially welcomes the Minimum Wage increase and the further investment in the household support fund. 7% of people in full-time work and 13% in part time are experiencing hygiene poverty. If the lowest paid workers see an increase in their pay packets, this may alleviate some of the stress, anxiety and depression which comes from going to work worrying about how presentable you look, or what your colleagues may be saying about you and your appearance.
We are also encouraged by the decision to ease the burden of debt repayments for people receiving Universal Credit, an important first step towards the fundamental reform our social security system needs.
But people living in hygiene poverty across the UK – families who don’t have shampoo, who are sharing toothbrushes, who can’t afford the laundry detergent to wash their children’s school uniforms – deserved more. The Hygiene Bank calls on the Government to do three things
- Work towards implementing the Essentials Guarantee, championed by Trussell and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The basic rate of Universal Credit should at least cover the cost of essentials – including toiletries – but it’s not currently set according to any objective assessment of what people need.
- Include hygiene poverty specifically on the agenda of The Child Poverty Taskforce. The Taskforce published its strategy last week with not a single mention of hygiene poverty—an omission that ignores the growing urgency of this silent crisis. We urge them to accept our invitation to meet with The Hygiene Bank and smol, with a view to deepening their understanding of how hygiene poverty is damaging the quality of life for millions of people in the UK. You can find more information about the campaign and write to your local MP here.
- Invest time in learning about hygiene poverty and the terrible impact it is having on individuals and families in every constituency across the country. Only if those in power truly understand this invisible poverty and its impact, will we truly be able to work together to end it, forever.
No one in the UK, the 6th richest economy in the world, should have to grapple with the stress, health impacts or social isolation that come from not being able to afford basic hygiene essentials. THB is committed to advocating for change. We call on leaders to take meaningful steps toward a future where hygiene poverty no longer exists.
Ruth Brock, CEO at The Hygiene Bank
