One family in five is too poor to take a trip to the seaside for today’s bank holiday, a children’s charity has revealed.
Research published by Barnardo’s today found that the
poorest 20 per cent of families have too little disposable income to
stretch to a city-to-coast trip, even if they cut out “all but the
basics.”
A trip from Birmingham to Rhyl, north Wales, would set a
family of four back £117.40 while one from Leicester to Skegness in
Lincolnshire would cost £127.40, the study showed.
The minimum disposable income for a fifth of households was just £39 a week — leaving a day at the beach well out of reach.
The calculations are based on a day trip and assume families are able to find the cheapest rail fare.
They include the cost of a fish-and-chip meal, sun cream
and ice creams, but do not cover additional items such as swimming
costumes, towels, buckets and spades or armbands.
“Research shows that the poorest families have too little
money to cover basic weekly living costs — let alone a trip to the
beach,” the charity said.
“The income of the poorest families has declined in recent years.
