Cost of living: Londoners shower at leisure centres to save on bills

A participant in the research said he went to his local leisure centre specifically to use the shower

Londoners struggling with the cost of living are taking showers at their local leisure centre rather than at home, a conference heard.

The summit at City Hall was told that low cost memberships in parts of the capital had made it a cheaper alternative for some people.

The event was organised by a London Assembly cross-party group investigating the impact of the crisis.

Research was carried out by King's College London's Policy Institute.

The Government said that, nationally, its "number one priority is driving down inflation because that will help everyone's money go further".

Seb Mandzak, a peer researcher at the institute, said one of the Londoners he interviewed for the report said that he went to his local leisure centre specifically to use the showers almost every day.

The interviewee told Mr Mandzak he was aware of several others in his area doing the same thing, the summit on Thursday heard.

The institute's report, titled Breaking Point, also found that 64% of Britons believed the cost of living crisis "simply shone a light on a longer term decline in living standards in the UK".

• Cost of living: Low-income Londoners skipping meals

• Quarter of Londoners living in poverty, charity says

• One in four working London parents struggle to feed family

Errol Moricette, one of the attendees at the summit, said he had been forced to resort to using a foodbank because of his high energy bills.

He added that it had also made him abandon his future aspirations.

"I'm trying to get involved in setting up a home-based business in the field of AI… [But] the disposable income just isn't there," he said.

Louise, a young woman who did not want to give her surname, said she found herself homeless after leaving the care system aged 18.

Now renting a one-bedroom flat, she said she was afraid of becoming homeless again.

"I'm struggling with my rent. We're meant to earn more in London, but we don't get to see it," she said.

Group chair Len Duvall, a Labour Assembly member representing Greenwich and Lewisham, said the crisis had helped to create a political consensus on certain issues, such as on free school meals.

Approached for comment on what action is being taken to bring the cost of living down, a Government spokesman said: "There are nearly two million fewer people in absolute poverty than in 2010, but we know some families are struggling, which is why we are providing record financial support worth around £3,300 per household, raising benefits by over 10% this year and increasing the National Living Wage again."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail]