Why Nobody Should Have to Choose Between Heating and Eating

22 February 2012

There's nothing wrong with an occasional bit of nostalgia - whether you long for the days when it was possible to enjoy a night out, and a taxi home, with less than five pounds in your pocket, or you just wish there were fewer cars on Morpeth high street again.

Of course, with nostalgia comes the temptation to believe that everything was better back then, whenever 'then' may have been - there was less crime, young people were better behaved, you could leave your front door unlocked...

However, the memories are usually rose-tinted. Many people were surprised when, for example, a recent survey showed that apparently young people are actually more polite now than their counterparts 20 years ago.

We have also seen such amazing progress in technology and communication and, whilst there is still much room for improvement, our society is generally more enlightened and more accessible for people who would previously have been ostracised or excluded.

Unfortunately, one downside to progress is that the cost of living inevitably goes up. Traditionally, this isn't meant to be a problem as people's wages ought to be adjusted in line with inflation and the cost of living remains fairly constant. That's the idea, anyway, but problems arise in times, such as now, when inflation becomes so high that wages cannot keep up.

The cost of living is currently escalating at record levels - inflation hit a huge 5.2 per cent in the middle of October, the highest since 2008, and shows exactly what the average family is having to contend with at the moment.

This is not a good time to be struggling financially and to make matters worse, one of the main reasons behind the increased cost of consumer goods is the increased price of fuel, which we are already being hit by as we attempt to fill our cars with petrol and heat our homes.

All of these rising costs, of energy and of living, are combining to see levels of poverty, and fuel poverty, increase, and it is not being over-dramatic to suggest that this is literally a matter of life or death.

A report published this autumn claimed that thousands of people die every year of illnesses that have links to fuel poverty, as winter sees an additional 27,000 deaths each year.

Nobody should be forced to choose between heating and eating yet, at the moment, there are people across Northumberland who can barely afford to do one or the other, let alone both.

Price increases that might be an annoyance to many are catastrophic to some - and we as a society have to make sure the support is there for people who need it. As winter closes in, if you are struggling, or know somebody who might be, don't hesitate to seek help.

Anyone with concerns about money worries can drop in to the DAWN CAB in Morpeth for free and independent advice or for free telephone advice contact the Northumberland Advice Line on 0844 4111 309.