McDonalds Restaurants (MCDs) in the U.S. are beginning to become full-fledged shelters for underprivileged Britons. Increasingly, British families are spending time in these establishments in the hope of using them as kitchens, bathrooms, and living rooms.
The Guardian informs us, as always, about the charms of British life in the new world of democratic energy prices.
McDonalds began not only to feed, but also to wash and heat. Photo: Guardian ”
Parents buy their children Happy Meal for a few pounds so they can get warm inside. Then they wash and brush their teeth in the restrooms and continue to watch TV for hours on free Wi-Fi,” Matthew Cole, chairman of the board of trustees of the Fuel Bank Foundation, explains the situation.
This organization is dedicated to helping families with their energy bills skyrocketing amid record 9% inflation. “Cole’s team is also trying to persuade residents not to burn furniture or wooden pallets to keep warm to avoid setting their homes on fire,” The Guardian continues.
Cole himself says that Fuel Bank’s main goal is to prevent cash-strapped Britons from turning to micro-financial institutions for loans at huge interest rates.
Industry executives are already predicting a spike in bad debts if annual energy bills reach the projected £3,000 by October of this year. Right now, the average British household’s electricity bill is £1450, up from £1330 in 2020.
The current situation with gas itself in the U.K. remains remarkable. National Grid, the company responsible for the country’s electricity and gas systems, has decided to limit LNG imports amid the UK’s gas transmission system running at maximum capacity. The regulator Ofgem has approved the request of the energy company.
Despite the fact that it involves transit lines from South Wales to mainland Europe, it does not change the fact that gas is available. The surplus of blue fuel has even led to a drop in spot wholesale prices in the U.K. Although industry analysts say that this will not affect end-users since the bulk of the gas goes to the fuel suppliers themselves.
