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Heating versus eating - ONS data

ended 25. November 2022

New data out this morning from the ONS showed that people living in the most deprived areas in England more frequently reported spending less on food and essentials (58%) compared with those living in the least deprived areas (33%). Equally, over half (55%) of adults reported that they were worried (very or somewhat) about keeping warm in their home this winter; people living in the most deprived areas in England (70%) were more likely to be worried about this than those living in the least deprived areas (46%). When asked about how they were feeling about the future in response to the times we are living in now, around half (49%) of all adults reported they were unsure (very or fairly) of the future; this increased to 55% among those in the most deprived areas of England but was 45% among those in the least deprived areas. The responses of several finance experts, therapists and small business owners are below.

5 responses from the Newspage community

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Rebecca Thompson
Owner at The Sea Glass Company
We live in an old house and after originally paying over £250 a month for gas and electricity, we are now paying over £450 a month on a fixed rate and that's just to take the chill away, it's by no means warm. If it's like this for us, there will be many vulnerable people out there who will be suffering, but not saying anything. After the shocking revelation of seeing our smart meter at £110 last week for daring to have it at 18.5 degrees, we have now turned it down to 14 degrees. We used to average about £60 per week in the winter months. As business owners, we work from home 70% of the week and once we have gathered all the info, we are going to look at whether it would be cheaper to be less home-based and more cafe/business hub/library based, taking into consideration the cost of transport and parking versus being warm enough to work. Due to the nature of what we do, it's not always an option. We are going to create a spreadsheet and monitor the cost of our daily activities. e.g. washing clothes, making coffee on the stovetop, showering, number of lights etc. We have bought one heater for the rooms we base ourselves in to take the chill off when we need to, hot water bottles have been ordered, as well as thermals, fingerless gloves for typing and extra blankets. Anything that will keep us warm and reduce our costs. In addition, we have the worry of our fixed-rate mortgage ending in the next couple of months and our fixed rate for gas and electricity ending in April, ready for the next price increase. We've decided to come off our direct debit in April 2023 and go onto monthly meter readings instead. It's too scary to do it in the winter unless we can significantly reduce our usage with the information we are currently gathering. Worrying times ahead.
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Samuel Mather-Holgate
Independent Financial Adviser at Mather and Murray Financial
Despite the various legitimate reasons for the soaring energy prices, it's a disgrace that well over half of the people in the sixth richest country in the world are worried about keeping warm this winter. The government's energy support goes nowhere near far enough to support the most vulnerable in society. The cap is set too high for the poorest households and it's incredible that the chancellor has suggested that support will be rolled up next year even if energy costs haven't returned to normal levels. Pressure on households has been increased further by the massive tax hikes and increased borrowing rates, creating the feeling of the walls moving in from every direction. I fear that there will be a mental health and homelessness crisis resulting from this winter and we have a government who either don't care, or don't get it.
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Imran Hussain
Director at Harmony Financial Services
There are many families out there now who will have to decide between heating and eating, and it's an absolute disgrace that this shambles of a government in one of the richest countries in the world has not done anything to step in and put a cap on pricing or even apply a windfall tax on those companies to help the nation. People should remember this when the next general election comes around.
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Paula Gardner
Founder at Scarlet Thinking
When clients come to see me with severe anxiety over this cost of living crisis, I can help them with ways to manage that anxiety, or even to some extent their finances, but I cannot help with the issue at hand, the unfair and terribly worrying situation they find themselves in. Health workers all over the country will be finding their work made even harder by the stresses people are now facing. I have clients who are facing bills they just cannot pay, impacting not only their anxiety, but their self-esteem and their sleep. Sleep issues are linked with depression and I can see a national mental health problem quickly developing here.
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Amit Patel
Adviser at Trinity Finance
This is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode, except for the wealthy. This Government has been in charge for over a decade and still blames others for the decisions they have made. The most at risk right now are the vulnerable people in society left to fend for themselves. If we don’t take action, then it is likely we will see an increase in suicides as people struggle to make ends meet. The logic behind the Bank of England increasing the base rate to stop people spending is flawed. The majority of the population are only spending money on food, heating, rent, mortgage payments and the necessities in life. Each rate increase has ramifications further down the road. How many deaths will it take before the penny drops and this Government wakes up and smells the coffee? Enough is enough.