More than one in seven single-parent families fell behind on energy bills last year, more than three times the national rate, according to analysis of the Government’s own household survey.
Researchers at the University of York found 14.3% of single-parent households had been in arrears with gas, electricity or other fuel costs during the previous 12 months. Across the UK, 3.9% of households were behind, equivalent to around 1.1 million families.
The analysis by Ana Castro and Jonathan Bradshaw used the Family Resources Survey 2024/25, covering 16,077 households and weighted to represent almost 29 million across the country.
Black, African, Caribbean and Black British households were also disproportionately affected, with 9.5% reporting arrears.
The rate was 6.6% among families containing a disabled person, compared with just 1.9% where no one was disabled. Households with children were also much more likely to owe money than those without.
Regional differences were smaller but Yorkshire and the Humber and Scotland recorded the highest rates at 4.9%. The North East followed at 4.8% and London at 4.5%, while Northern Ireland recorded the lowest rate at 1%.
The figures cover the 2024/25 financial year and predate the 13.5% rise in the energy price cap that took effect on 1 July.
Polling by Opinium for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition in June found almost a third of people were either already in energy debt or worried about falling behind.
Simon Francis, Coordinator of the coalition, said: “This new analysis lays bare who is paying the price for our broken energy system and should remind policy makers and regulators that this is a can’t-pay crisis, not a won’t-pay one.
“And this is a picture from last year. The number of households under strain is growing, not shrinking.”
Campaigners are calling for the long-promised energy debt relief scheme to be introduced and funded through industry windfalls rather than further charges on customer bills.
Ofgem reported last month that debt owed to energy suppliers had reached a record £4.79 billion, up 5% in three months. The regulator only counts households as being in debt once arrears are more than 90 days old, meaning the wider financial shortfall could be higher.
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