48 per cent of the UK are 'just about managing' financially

New report reveals which areas of the UK are struggling the most

New research from www.providentpersonalcredit.com reveals that almost half (48 per cent) of the UK consider themselves to be ‘just about managing’ financially.

The survey of 2,000 adults revealed that 15 per cent had to give up necessities like food and daily travel costs to pay for unexpected expenses, with a further 23 per cent of respondents saying they had to give up holidays and seasonal events like Christmas to pay for unexpected expenses. The survey results highlighted that it takes the average Brit 4 months to pay off their unexpected expenses, however five per cent of the UK are still paying them off after seven to nine months later.

Cities with the highest just about managing households

The nationwide research revealed which areas of the UK are considering themselves to be ‘just about managing’. Aberdeen top the list, closely followed by Worcester. But the changes in the areas since January is quite shocking. The full list can be seen below:

City	Households that consider themselves JAMS	Compared to January 2017	Percentage change
Aberdeen	72 per cent	47 per cent	+25 per cent
Worcester	67 per cent	43 per cent	+24 per cent
Plymouth	56 per cent	58 per cent	-2 per cent
Wolverhampton	56 per cent	46 per cent	+10 per cent
Gloucester	54 per cent	55 per cent	-1 per cent
Newcastle	54 per cent	53 per cent	+1 per cent
Birmingham	53 per cent	44 per cent	+9 per cent
Edinburgh	53 per cent	39 per cent	+14 per cent
Norwich	51 per cent	42 per cent	+9 per cent
Bristol	50 per cent	58 per cent	-8 per cent
Cardiff	50 per cent	28 per cent	+22 per cent
Southampton	50 per cent	50 per cent	–
Portsmouth	49 per cent	44 per cent	+5 per cent
Leicester	48 per cent	43 per cent	+5 per cent
Chelmsford	47 per cent	63 per cent	-17 per cent
London	47 per cent	49 per cent	-2 per cent
Manchester	47 per cent	49 per cent	-2 per cent
Cambridge	45 per cent	48 per cent	-3 per cent
Glasgow	45 per cent	51 per cent	-6 per cent
Liverpool	45 per cent	41 per cent	+4 per cent
Sheffield	45 per cent	53 per cent	-8 per cent
Leeds	41 per cent	36 per cent	+5 per cent
Belfast	40 per cent	47 per cent	-7 per cent
Coventry	38 per cent	70 per cent	-32 per cent
Swansea	38 per cent	39 per cent	-1 per cent
Brighton and Hove	36 per cent	45 per cent	-9 per cent
Oxford	32 per cent	50 per cent	-18 per cent
Wrexham	32 per cent	33 per cent	-1 per cent

 

Unexpected expenses troubling Brits

One of the biggest unexpected expenses troubling Brits are cars – costing £226 on average a year in unexpected costs. With 54 per cent of respondents saying they’ve had at least one car related unexpected expense last year and 18 per cent of respondents saying they knew about the issue but left it to get steadily worse.

After general household bills denting another £248 a year in unexpected costs, other expenses that might be smaller but add up throughout the year include:

Pets – £76 on average annually

Christmas – £93 on average annually

Leisure – £111 on average annually