Communities could help each other find practical answers to the cost of living crisis which is bearing down on every household. The government’s decision to provide financial for energy bills this autumn is a temporary fix. In effect, taxpayers will be subsiding the energy providers who have ramped up the price of gas and electricity. Then there are soaring food, transport and petrol costs that impact on everyone. All this means we should work on practical initiatives of our own instead of waiting for things to get better.
With prices rising at an annual rate of 9% people’s wage packets and pensions – which went up by just 3.1% in April - are worth a lot less than a year ago. Working people on lower incomes are feeling price rises the most. The poorest households spend 11% of their total household budget on gas and electricity, compared to 4% for the richest households, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Energy prices went up by 70% in the year to April 2022 and supplier E.On says that up to 40% of its customers will be in fuel poverty – having to spend more than 10% of net income on energy – by October. More than a fifth of households in Britain say they are struggling to make ends meet as the price of the weekly grocery shop rises 7%, the highest level of inflation in 13 years.
The impact of rising prices is already taking its toll in a variety of ways. Food banks from London to South Tyneside are seeing a marked decline in donations as people feel the pinch. Some schools in relatively prosperous North Yorkshire are laying off teaching assistants because there’s nothing in their budgets to meet agreed pay and national insurance increases as well as soaring energy prices.
So here are some ideas and demands that South Tyneside communities could consider campaigning for:
What do you think? Let us know about other initiatives our community could consider.
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