A single mum has said following government advice to stock up on emergency supplies would mean sacrificing her childcare budget for the school holidays. Samantha Richards, who works full-time and relies on Universal Credit and her son's disability allowance to cover the bills, said the call to prepare reminded her of the "survival of the fittest". Last week, Wes Streeting said people should have water, tinned goods, baby food, torches and mobile phone charging packs ready in case of emergency.
But one professor said the guidance "will appear at best tone deaf and at worst almost insulting" to households facing poverty. The UK government said people did not need to buy everything at once. The government has drawn up recommendations for households to have three days' worth of bottled water and tinned food to deal with a crisis such as a war, an online attack or a natural disaster.
But not everyone has the disposable income that allows these types of purchases, said Samantha, 47. "I think the advice is good, but we do want to know what [the government] plan to do in the event of us needing this. Samantha takes part in Changing Realities, a collaboration between more than 200 parents and carers on a low income from across the UK.
She has torches and blankets already and never lets food in the house completely run out. But her autistic son's safe foods require a fridge and freezer, and she worries if an emergency did happen, he would not be able to eat the tinned food if she did buy it. Instead, they would need to rely on other items in the cupboard.
"You may not feel very well after a few days but you can last more than three without eating," Samantha said. But you can't last very long without water, she believes, so that is what she will prioritise. According to University of Glasgow professor Ruth Patrick, the UK government's guidance "will appear at best tone deaf and at worst almost insulting to the 14 million households currently facing poverty across the UK".
She is leading the Changing Realities project, and added: "There is a profound mis-match between this suggestion and the daily realities for parents and carers on a low-income up and down the country who are struggling to get by, especially as costs continue to rise and the temperatures drop." "Preparedness shouldn't be just for people that really truly can afford to," said Ana, founder of UK Preppers Club on Facebook. She said she was disappointed in the UK government announcement because it did not give people an idea of what to actually do in an emergency. Ana said she would have welcomed advice being distributed about what to do if there is no running water - how do you flush your toilet for example?
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