A DEBT charity has said that improving households’ financial security should be top of the agenda for the government after revealing that one in eight people have borrowed money to make ends meet in the last year.

Two-fifths — 40 per cent — of the 2,000 people surveyed found it difficult to keep up with household bills and paying off credit debt, according to research published today by StepChange Debt Charity.

A quarter of people — 24 per cent — said they were rationing heating, electricity or water in an attempt to meet repayments.

When asked if they would be able to cope with an unexpected  £1,000 bill, one in eight said they would not be able to cover the costs without having to borrow. The number rose to one in five among single parents. 

Vikki Brownridge, StepChange chief executive said: “In an election year, tackling such widespread problem debt and improving households’ financial security should be at the top of the agenda for current and potential new governments.”