Sam Leads Debate on Furniture Poverty 

Yesterday (06/11), in Westminster Hall, Sam Carling MP led a vital debate on furniture poverty in the UK, highlighting the severe impacts on health, financial stability, and social well-being among low-income families who lack essential furniture items like beds, cookers, and fridges. 

“[Furniture poverty] is not about want, it’s about need,” Carling stated. “It’s a ‘poverty premium’… Furniture items are a huge initial expense, and many low-income households simply do not have the money to shell out for them. However, their absence is far more expensive over time.” 

The debate addressed how 9% of UK adults lack at least one essential item, with over a million adults and 1.2 million children in ‘deep furniture poverty.’ The effects are most severe on ethnic minorities, disabled individuals, and those in social housing, with 16% of minority ethnic people missing essential items, compared with 7% of white British people. 

Living without essential furniture leads to higher costs for low-income households. “No cooker means an average of £2,100 extra for a family of four per year on their food bill. No fridge or freezer tacks on another £1,300 to that food bill”Carling explained.“To avoid damp or dirty clothes without a washing machine, going to a launderette… adds just over £1,000 to the household bill.” This financial strain also impacts health and social connections, with research showing that many affected individuals report physical pain, stress, and social isolation. 

Carling called for systemic changes, referencing successful models from charities and local governments. “I strongly encourage the Government to follow the lead of our Welsh colleagues by bringing in a similar measure, as we review our own decent homes standard”  Carling urged, noting that Welsh policy requiring social-rented homes to provide flooring from the point of let, which prevents renters from living on exposed cement or dirty underlay. 

Danny Beales MP, reflecting on his own experiences with homelessness, emphasised the harsh realities of furniture poverty. “Growing up, my mum and I were homeless twice,” Beales shared, recounting the struggle of moving from hostels to temporary accommodation. Even after moving into a council house they had “no curtains to keep out the daylight and give us privacy, and no bed, only a duvet.” 

He explained how families who are evicted often must leave essential items behind, worsening their financial strain. He advocated for empowering local councils to develop furniture reuse programs and called for a stronger household support fund to address these needs, urging that basic furnishings be included in housing standards to help break the cycle of deprivation. 

In the private rented sector, a lack of legal standards around furnishing also leaves tenants vulnerable. “There’s no legal definition of a furnished property,”  Carling noted, touching on his personal experience of arriving at a new flat in August, finding no mattress to sleep on. 

Carling praised charities like End Furniture Poverty and councils like Liverpool’s, where over 50% of social landlords have pledged support, but pointed out that charity efforts alone aren’t enough. “They cannot do it all and they have been impacted by the difficulties in local government finances under the last Government.”  Carling concluded. 

Notes:

Sam’s full speech can be found here.

Danny’s full speech can be found here.