The cost of living crisis is an issue that is affecting millions of people in the UK in several aspects of their lives.
One area that has been largely affected is the price of food and the cost of people’s weekly shops.
Despite food inflation slowing, prices of food were around 30% higher in October 2023 than in October 2021.
Nearly 4 in 10 adults said they have spent more than usual to get what they normally buy when food shopping.
Leeds Now investigated the prices of 15 food items across six UK supermarkets to investigate which store is the most affordable.
The data ranked Marks & Spencer’s as the most expensive and Aldi as the cheapest with a range of £14.03 between the two.
- Marks & Spencer’s – £35.40
- Sainsburys – £24.86
- Morrisons – £24.37
- Asda – £23.44
- Tesco – £22.81
- Aldi – £21.37
Currently, people are unable to afford a basic weekly food shop even with the minimum wage increasing to £11.44. This is due to the price of food and also an interest rate of 5.25% which is a 2000% increase from December 2021.
This has led to people having to rely on services such as food banks to help them get through the week.
In Leeds alone, there was a 20% increase in foodbank usage from 2022 to 2023 according to The Trussell Trust, a nationwide food bank organisation.
Jacqui Warner, the foodbank coordinator from Soup and More foodbank located in Little London, Leeds said: “We have seen many changes largely due to the cost of living crisis, people who are in full-time work accessing the Foodbank. And people coming from all areas of the city using our services.”
Many of those who use the foodbanks have children who are also eligible for free school meals.
Leeds has seen a 58% increase in the number of children eligible for free school meals between 2015-16 and 2022-23, according to Gov.uk data.
However, despite the large increase in eligibility, many children are missing out on the opportunity to claim free lunches.
A report published by the Child Poverty Action Group in June 2022 found that 1 in 3 school children living in poverty in England miss out on free school meals despite their families struggling to meet the demands the cost of living crisis presents.
Rebecca Simpson, Office and Finance Manager at We Are Queensbury foodbank, said: “Many food bank users are entitled to free school meals, however, we have many that work and are not entitled so then have to find the food for packed lunches. We have more children who aren’t entitled to free school meals than are.”
Eligible children missing out on free school meals – Leeds Now
The increase in food prices has also led to an increase in crime, especially shoplifting.
Abdullah Desai who is a service assistant at the Newsagent in the Merrion Centre said that, “three or four thousand pounds worth of stock,” went missing after continual break-ins happened over the course of the past year.
Mr Desai believes the reason for the increase in shoplifting is because “the rules and regulations are too soft.”
As well as food prices increasing, housing prices and bills are also on the rise.
Shelley Joyce from the Homeless Street Angels Charity in Leeds said: “The current financial climate is having a huge detrimental effect on housing figures, as many are struggling to keep a home once they have one due to the cost of living”.
Data has shown that there is a rise in house prices nationally, and although Leeds is well below the average, the rise itself will make affordable accommodation harder to come by.
In Leeds, many people are unable to heat their homes due to the rise in energy prices.
In the past year, data shows that Yorkshire had the 2nd highest percentage of households experiencing fuel poverty in the UK.
Councillor Mary Harland said Leeds City Council are working to help reduce this number.
“We are doing what we can, as a council, to keep people warm and tackle the scourge of fuel poverty in Leeds. The Home Plus Service is providing energy efficiency and fuel bill advice to lower income vulnerable residents across Leeds, as well as referrals to grants for heating and energy efficiency improvements to 900 households in fuel poverty.”
With winter making it necessary to have some form of heat in the household, Leeds City Council are putting measures in place to help people in need.
“We’re taking a number of actions over winter to support residents affected by the crisis, including a comms campaign for winter wellbeing guidance and general cost of living advice.”
Another sector that has been impacted by the cost of living crisis is travel.
Keith Godfrey, a plumber from Leeds has found that the increasing petrol prices are impacting his work.
His job requires him to travel around in a van daily to reach customers and collect material. Godfrey has now changed his business model in order to reduce the amount he travels. Prior to this change, he said: “I used to fill up once or twice a week, so I used to spend £50 to £60 now, I am filling up once every other week now”.
As we approach the festive season making ends meet continues to be a pressing concern for the people of Leeds.
