A growing number of people in one of the wealthiest areas of the country are struggling financially due to a huge spike in energy bills and a surge in the cost of living, according to the chief executive of Wokingham Citizens Advice.
Many people who are “just managing” are now wallowing in poverty and debt in Berkshire, Jake Morrison said, making him fear for poorer regions across the country.
“Wokingham is one of the least deprived areas in England. It just is,” he said. “In normal times we might refer a handful of people to the food bank a week – now we’re doing it in half a day.”
Morrison, who wrote on Facebook about the surge in demand for the service, noted that while his branch of the charity helped 643 people in August 2021, this August they have already helped 956 people – a 48% increase.
In all of 2021, Citizens Advice helped 135,572 people with crisis support, but predicts it will help 212,966 people by the end of this year – a 57% increase.
Morgan Wilde, head of policy at Citizens Advice, said the charity was helping two people every minute with crisis support, with numbers continuing to go “in the wrong direction”.
“Every day, our advisers report on the situations people are facing: people who are terminally ill and cannot heat their homes; parents going days without food to feed their children; and people who can’t afford the bus fare to get to a food bank or school uniform.
“We need government support that matches the scale of this crisis. This means a financial lifeline for those who need it and better protection when people can’t afford their bills.”
Increasing numbers of people from typically affluent areas could affect the future Conservative leader’s position, with MPs already concerned the party is not being proactive enough on the issue.
Conservative Party leader Liz Truss, asked about the impact of the cost of living crisis, said she did not agree with “doomsday” and rejected “handouts” as a way to help people affected by the cost of living crisis , although advisers have suggested in recent days that she is “not ruling anything out”.
Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the most popular stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertisements and content funded by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to secure our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Of the people who contacted Wokingham Citizens’ Council, 55.8% said they had sought help as a result of rising bills and the cost of living.
Morrison urged people to reach out for help even if they’ve never needed help before, but said she’s worried staff won’t be able to respond to calls as quickly if demand continues to grow exponentially. “As the demand increases, those people who feel validated just by being heard may not even get it because the demand will be too high for us to have those conversations,” he said.
Charities have also had to contend with crisis upon crisis, he added – with many already depleted of funds for rainy days during the pandemic. “The money that was collected from charities and fundraisers to give away is gone,” he said. “And that’s what’s really scary.”
Add Comment