‘They’re putting old people in an early grave.’
In her own words, Anne*, a pensioner who became debt free with the support of CAP, explains the realities she is experiencing during the cost of living crisis and calls for more to be done to support people during this difficult time.
£10 for a week. That is all I have left after I pay my bills. What would you do with £10? I have to get food, so I head to Iceland and buy tinned tomatoes, some bread to have in the freezer, some plain pasta, food for my dog, and perhaps if I’m lucky some chicken on a deal, but then the £10 is gone. I can’t afford much fruit. I’m being forced to turn vegetarian because I can’t afford meat. I can’t afford to buy paint when my walls are peeling, new bedding when I need it, or even new pants. My budget just doesn’t add up.
It’s not living. It’s not an existence. I am having to cut down on everything and it is taking its toll on my mental and physical health. My friends are telling me I’ve lost weight, my doctor is testing me for calcium deficiency, my arthritis is getting worse because I can’t turn on the heating, and I am getting depressed. All I can say as an explanation is ‘come and see how I have to live’. The current reality is putting old people in an early grave.
What change is needed?
I worked until I was 75, but I am now facing a life with a pension that is too small to live off. The Government and councils need to do more to help, especially during this cost of living crisis where prices are going up and the safety nets of protection are not there to catch people when the balance just doesn’t add up.
I am not living extravagantly, but when I have paid for my electricity, gas, water, rent, home insurance, life insurance and phone bill (so I can contact my family), there is nearly nothing left. And the situation is getting worse. Prices are rising and my rent is going up. Without Government support, I don’t know how I will pay for my energy and gas next month. As my rent goes up further next month, I think I will be out on the streets soon.
There are some key changes that are needed:
The Government and housing sector should apply a rent freeze to prevent landlords from increasing rent prices at a time when tenants can’t afford them. This will prevent people from being pushed out of their homes.
Energy and gas prices should not be increased. But, if they have to, then there needs to be more protection put in place for people like me who are not able to afford these increases.
There needs to be a review of the way accommodation is offered. It is currently based on the number of rooms rather than the cost of the property, which results in me having to pay more for the two-bedroom house that I have lived in for the past 13 years and thus call home, than if I was in a one-bedroom assisted living flat.
Charity and council support needs to be seen as a temporary safety net and not a long-term solution. Although I am grateful for the food parcels and charity support, I want to have the choice of what to eat, and to thrive, not just survive. Something needs to change in the systems and structures that are pushing people into this form of existence.
What the future has in store
The future is not looking bright. As things stand, I am likely to go back into debt because I do not have enough to live on.
I pray every night, but God has a lot of people to help at the moment.
We need more help from anyone in a position of power to support people who are currently living off an unlivable income. I urge anyone who works in politics or the credit industry to try to live off £10 a week for food and essentials — how about swapping your wage for mine for seven days? Perhaps that may help you to understand the realities that people across the UK face every single day.
*Name has been changed on request.
