Neighbours in one of UK's 'poorest areas' open up on one of the toughest winters

01 March 2023 , 11:37

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Mohsin Kamal, who works at a local store said prices had had to go up for the shop to stay afloat (Image: Nottingham Post/ Joel Moore)

Neighbours in one of the UK’s so-called poorest areas have opened up on the struggles during a “tough winter” amid the cost of living crisis.

Countless Brits have found the past winter extremely tough on their wallets as soaring fuel prices and inflation combine.

It has left more and more people struggling to make ends meet amid the cost of living crisis.

Residents in the Beechdale neighbourhood of Nottingham have spoken out on how soaring energy bills and sky-high food prices have affected them.

The area has the lowest average household income in Nottinghamshire according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

Shop prices 'are yet to peak and will remain high' as inflation hits new heights

An aerial view of the industrial district of Beechdale in Nottingham (Getty Images)

After housing costs residents have £16,000 a year, which contrasts sharply to nearby areas like Wollaton which have over double that at £42,800.

Pensioners are being forced to dip into their savings whilst local shops have to up their prices to stay afloat.

Radha Karuppiah, a Beechdale resident who lives with her husband and 15-year-old daughter, told NottinghamLive: "Prices are high, everything is expensive, it's been a tough winter.

"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."

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."

Mohsin Kamal, 21, who works at Kamal Store in the area, 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."

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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."

Joel Moore