Residents in one of the poorest areas of Nottinghamshire have opened up on their financial struggles during a "tough winter". People living in Beechdale, a suburb located between Aspley and Wollaton, say soaring energy bills and high food prices are affecting them on a daily basis.
Pensioners are being forced to dip into their savings, whilst added costs for local shops means price rises are hitting the shelves. "Prices are high, everything is expensive, it's been a tough winter," said Radha Karuppiah, a Beechdale resident who lives with her husband and 15-year-old daughter.
"I've been paying a lot more for everything, energy bills and food prices. Even the leisure centre is more expensive, I was going to get a membership, but I saw the price had gone up. I can't afford that."
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The 42-year-old added: "Some snacks we can't have. My daughter wants to go out every week but because of the prices we can't do that. We're paying £300 to £400 more a month for our home, we moved when mortgage interest rates were really low but now everything is very high."
Beechdale has the lowest average household income in Nottinghamshire, according to the latest Office for National Statistsics (ONS) data. 2020-released figures show households in the suburb have £16,000 a year after housing costs, contrasting hugely with those in nearby Wollaton, which have £42,800.
Mohsin Kamal, 21, who works at Kamal Store in Beechdale Road, said: "We've been doing alright but high prices have had an impact, we've had to put the prices up of items. Even if it's a little thing customers will ask about it, they could go up by 10p and they'll complain.
"We have had to raise prices to make a profit but in comparison to a lot of shops it's cheaper." An 80-year-old pensioner, who did not wished to be named, said: "I'm the same as most people, the only thing I find irritating is that I just found out my pension would only be going up by 25p a week, that's £1 a month, I find that absolutely shameful.
"That's not going to be enough to pay my bills. We're having to dip into our savings which we have had to work for all our lives." The retired nursery teacher added: "We have to have the heating on as my husband has health issues, but we have to go without some things."
Another retiree, aged 84, said she was using her savings to help pay for rising energy bills. "I'm retired and renting but I'm getting by, I manage," she said.
"The government could do more, hopefully we're through the worst of it." A HM Treasury Spokesman said: “We want hard-working families to keep more of what they earn and our plan to halve inflation this year will allow everyone’s incomes to go further. We are also providing significant support over this year and next – worth on average £3,500 per household –as well as uprating benefits and the state pension by 10% in April."
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