Aerial view, on September 4, 2021, of Blackpool, a popular seaside town in the northwest of England, famous for its winter illuminations (AFP / Paul ELLIS)
‘He needs to do more to help us’: In the popular seaside resort of Blackpool in northwest England, residents and small business owners hit by the cost of living crisis anxiously await government budget announcements on Thursday .
“The basic groceries of eggs, bacon and sausages that I serve to my customers have increased by 10 to 15 pounds (12 to 18 euros) in the last two weeks,” said Tracy Applin, manager of a hotel in the city center.
“We will suffer. I don’t know how long, but (the government) must do more to help us,” she told AFP.
Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt is due to unveil a bitter budget potion on Thursday, made up of tax hikes and public spending cuts.
Even if he promised to be “fair” to the most disadvantaged hard hit by inflation that exceeds 10%, many Britons fear this announced return of austerity.
Tracy is concerned about the repercussions of upcoming tax increases on tourism in the city of some 140,000 inhabitants, which each year, between September and January alone, around 3.5 million people come to admire its famous illuminations.
“Usually at this time of year, I already have around 40 reservations for next year. But right now I only have five or six,” she notes.
She could close her hotel for the winter, but she says she can’t afford it with the bills to pay.
Julie Newby and her husband Kevin, two retirees, also say they are very worried about their energy bill, which has more than doubled in one year to reach 220 pounds (250 euros) per month.
Julie is hoping for “just more help for people living in poverty”, and a bit of respite for herself as she has to care for her husband and son, who are both disabled.
“I keep turning off the lights, we try to do our machines at night rather than during the day because it seems to be cheaper. We try not to use the dryer, but sometimes we we have no choice,” she said.
– “Breaking point” –
According to official statistics, Blackpool, located north of Liverpool and a former Mecca of British tourism with its casinos, is the most disadvantaged of the 317 local entities in England if we take into account in particular average income, unemployment rate, crime and health.
“People have difficulty eating, also have difficulty heating their homes. This has effects on their health and general well-being,” Maggie Cornall, an official at Blackpool City Council, told AFP.
This situation also has other repercussions such as an increase in the consumption of alcohol and drugs, which is felt in the emergency departments of the hospital, she adds.
In a food bank in London, October 31, 2022 (AFP / Daniel LEAL)
She hopes that beyond the aid already released for the most modest, the government will intervene in the energy market to limit the surge in prices.
According to the Trussell Trust, which runs more than 1,200 food banks across the UK, the cost of living crisis hitting the country is creating gigantic pressure on these centres, which are now at a “breaking point”.
Between April and September, 320,000 additional people turned to the association’s food bank for the first time. It delivered nearly 1.3 million food parcels, a third more than over the same period last year.
“You have to realize that people who live in places like Blackpool, who are the most vulnerable, have much less resilience and need massive help,” warns Maggie Cornall.
© 2022 AFP
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