"The essentials for a dignified life are already gone," says Debbie Webster, the manager of the charitable St Ann's Advice Centre. Ms Webster may sound like a 'prophet of doom' to some, but, for many, the soaring costs of basic necessities such as energy and food have left them "on a financial cliff-edge" and the worrying winter months ahead will only push them over the edge.
In the Nottingham suburb where the advice centre is based, this is the reality for many residents. According to Nottingham City Council the average life expectancy for those living in the area, at 74 years, is "significantly lower" than the national average of 79.
And as of 2018 roughly 23.7% (or 4,961) of St Ann's population lived in already income-deprived households, with 38% of the elderly and child population were living in poverty.
