Two in three families say it is tougher to pay bills

Nearly two-thirds of families in Scotland are finding it harder to pay their bills than they did a year ago, a new survey has suggested.

A third of households with children said they had suffered a “significant downturn” in their finances over the last 12 months.

That compared with 24 per cent of homes without children who said they were finding it more difficult to pay their bills.

Overall, the survey discovered that 61 per cent of families with children are finding it harder to cover the essential costs.

The survey was commissioned by Parenting Across Scotland, which is working with Edinburgh University’s Centre for Research on Families and Relationships and Capability Scotland on a project looking at the pressures of parenting on a low income.

More than 1,000 people in Scotland were asked if their household found it more or less difficult to pay bills such as a mortgage, rent, council tax, TV licence or landline telephones compared with this time last year.

The report also suggested that specific family types, such as single parents and large families, are at most risk of sliding into poverty.

Two-thirds of families affected by disability said it was because of costs related to their additional needs and increased stress.

Alison Clancy, project officer for Parenting Across Scotland, said: “Undoubtedly the economic downturn and welfare changes are having an adverse effect on family finances.

“Financial difficulties have an impact on the emotional wellbeing of families and can lead to family breakdown and stress.

“We should and must continue to invest in families and children. We need to ensure that all Scotland’s children are assured of an equal chance of health, wellbeing and economic prosperity.”