Cost of living: Coventry father goes ‘days without eating’

A single father said he would “rather starve” if it meant his daughter could eat while food prices soared.

David Lynch told the BBC he could barely afford bills at his rented flat in Coventry.

He said in a bid to put his daughter’s needs first “I have gone three or four days without food”, having been laid off as a warehouse packer.

The government says £21bn is being provided to help families in what has been called a cost-of-living crisis.

Fuel and energy costs have also risen alongside food prices, and further hikes, including National Insurance, are due in April.

Mr Lynch says his teenage daughter, who stays with him every other weekend, is “the centre of my world”.

“[She] thinks I am a hero because I try and make what I have got special,” he said.

Mr Lynch said he had been forced to go to a food bank, explaining a choice of “sometimes it is wondering whether [to] put electric on or gas on or do i pay for food”?

The 45-year-old said ministers should try living with people like him, working out how to pay bills “rather than just sit there in a suit and tie and pretend they know what it is like to live off benefits”.

Coventry Citizens Advice said it was supporting hundreds of families in the city and had seen an increase in demand for the charity’s help.

However, chief executive Kate Algate said the charity had finite resources and could only see about a quarter of those seeking advice.

“What we have seen in the last 12 months is that the amount of debt people have come to us with has tripled over [the period],” she said.

A government spokesperson said its £21bn support package for energy costs included a £150 council tax rebate in April for most households and a £200 energy bill discount in October – which would have to be repaid over five years.