The people of Lancashire have spoken out about how the cost of living crisis is tightening its vice like grip on the region. They have revealed how they have had to cut back with food banks reporting bare shelves and dwindling supplies. In a recent survey by The Living Wage Foundation, a massive 78% of low paid workers said the cost of living crisis was the worst period they had faced financially.
It also revealed how over half of low-paid workers - 2.7m workers nationwide - have turned to foodbanks over the last year. 63% of low-paid food bank users surveyed said their use had increased in this time. In what is looking to be a winter of discontent, food banks and councillors across Lancashire have issued urgent pleas for donations as the financial squeeze tightens.
Bearing all of this in mind, LancsLive went out to ask people in West Lancashire for their thoughts on food banks, and whether they're having to rein in donations to charities themselves due to sky rocketing costs and bills.
Jill Aspinall, near Ormskirk railway station, told Lancs Live she had donated to food banks but admitted she was feeling the effects of the cost of living. "We are quite lucky we get our pensions," she said. "We have donated to food banks; we have pulled back though on spending actually, we are careful as pensions and savings don't last forever, but we will donate still."
"We do a lot of online shopping with COVID and everything. I do know people who go to food banks though; I know there's a donation point in Morrisons."
Meanwhile, Martin, of Burscough, volunteers at the food bank at Skelmersdale's Ecumenical centre and said donations were ‘drying up: "The great problem now is that because of the cost of living crisis, the donations are drying up but we need more donations than ever unfortunately. We still do get some but unfortunately not enough as the ecumenical centre also supports two other food banks.
"As fast as it's coming in, it's going out and the demand for food parcels is going up and up. Personally we've not been hit that hard but I can quite see how people would feel if the heating bills go up."
John Melville, of Scarisbrick, stated that times were hard for many people and added: "It's a bad time - there is a shop on Burscough Street that's closed and they didn’t give any reason. It seems to be the norm, businesses closing; it’s a shame."
"I feel like it will hit when the energy bills come in. It never used to be like this - it’s worse now. In the past, it was years before a business closed; now it’s months and they close."
Mum of four Kelly Fury, of Skelmersdale feels she needs to have some financial back up in case of emergencies. "I've got four little ones at home with disabilities so there's not much I can do. I would have to see if I could afford it," she said. "I don't know where I'm going to be and I've always got to be prepared, if one ends up in hospital like the other month, I've always got to be ready with backup in case something happens. And now the washing machine has just gone.
"People can't help other people because they're only just managing themselves. The ones who give the most are the people who are just managing themselves. I'm not in that position at the moment, but I do know people who are."
Labour West Lancashire Borough Councillor Gareth Dowling revealed that food bank supplies across West Lancashire are running short because people are feeling the pinch and not donating. He recently listed local foodbank destinations and items needed on social media: "I am unfortunately having to post due to low levels of food across our local foodbanks and support charities across West Lancashire.
"Many residents are feeling the pinch already and turning to foodbanks, while others who may have previously been able to donate may now be cutting back while they feel the strain on their household finances themselves. This is an ongoing appeal to please, where you can, support our local foodbanks through donation, however small."
The plea comes just a week after organisers at Skelmersdale and District Foodbank warned of a ‘perfect storm’ of rising costs and supplies being hammered at food banks in Skelmersdale and West Lancashire. Patrick Newland, of Skelmersdale and District Food Bank, told Lancs Live: "It’s been like the perfect storm - there’s too many issues going on in the world.
"So there was the Ukraine crisis, then the energy crisis, and the cost of living, and it all seems to have piled up. People have not got as much money any more to donate, because obviously they’ve got to look after their own well being."
The Living Wage Foundation also reported this week that record high inflation combined with low wages is hitting Britain’s 4.8m low paid workers harder than anything they have faced before. This even includes the Covid-19 pandemic.
Polling of over 2,000 workers earning less than the real living wage showed significant hardship among low paid workers. Almost half of them at 42%, the equivalent of 2 million workers nationally, now regularly skip meals due to financial reasons with almost a third unable to heat their homes due to financial reasons. Almost a quarter of them are forced to take a payday loan to cover essentials.
Over a quarter of low paid workers have no money left at the end of the week after paying for essentials - nearly half have less than £10 left over and two thirds have less than £20. Meanwhile, the financial situation facing low paid workers is increasingly dire and is significantly impacting their quality of life, according to the organisation, which also highlights how more than two thirds of low paid workers report high levels of anxiety.
Diane Ireland, a prolific food bank campaigner who set up Fylde based food bank Fresh Food for Working Families, said: "I gave a young mum two bags of clothes today; she’s just stressed, she’s £20 left in the bank and she’s electric to pay and no food for her little one’s sandwiches… everything is going from bad to worse for a lot of people.
"People need to step up a bit. You might have your mother in a home, paying £800 a week, and they’re paying staff minimum wage. Everybody who’s got money seems to want everything for nothing, but they’re not prepared to help those that haven’t, that are doing them the service.
"I would say the situation is worse than it ever was. Everybody’s trumpeting that energy prices have been capped at two and a half grand - but they’ve not; we’re still paying more than we did last year. If there’s some poor pensioner who gets up and puts the heating on and then they get the bill and they’re can’t pay."
In relation to the cost of living issues, a Government spokesperson said: "We recognise people are struggling with rising prices which is why we are saving households an average of £1,000 a year through our new Energy Price Guarantee, allowing people on Universal Credit to keep £1,000 more of what they earn and providing eight million of the lowest-income households with additional direct support worth at least £1,200.
"In addition, we have expanded access to free school meals more than any other government in recent decades and are working with Local Authorities to make sure that vulnerable families in England are being supported by the Government’s Household Support Fund – which was recently boosted by another £500million."
The spokesperson added that the Government had reduced the Universal Credit taper rate from 63% to 55%, and increased work allowances by £500 per annum and was bringing in a new Energy Price Guarantee from October 1, which would mean a typical UK household would pay no more than £2,500 a year on their energy bill for the next two years, which was automatic and would apply to all households, along with the £400 energy bills discount.
They said they were providing over 1.9 million children with free school meals and were continuing to keep eligibility under review in order to make sure these meals supported those who most needed them, that they were investing up to £24 million in the National School Breakfast Programme until July 2023.. Other measures included the Holiday Activities and Food programme, providing heathy meals, enriching activities and free childcare places to children from low-income families, backed by over £200 million per year to 2025, with more details available here.
More information on Government support could be found at the government website and highlighted a Government support factsheet for the cost of living, available here. For further details of what donations are being sought at food banks in West Lancashire, click here. For more details of Fresh Food for Working Families, click here.
