So how do people deal with the rising cost of living? In Wigan, Sky News reporter Katerina Vitozzi spoke to Amy Dempsey and her son Brandon. “It’s not an easy conversation to have with a 10-year-old,” Ms Dempsey said. “But he’s from a family of vaccinators, so he understands.” ‘Armageddon’ for the poorest families – news live at the energy bill cap She told Sky News that Brandon was selling some of his toys to help the family cope with rising living costs. Mrs Dempsey and her partner, who live in Wigan, both work two jobs – they own a shop and Amy also works as a carer – but said she was “incredibly worried” about rising energy prices and the impact will have in their family. “I could work every hour of the day, but then I wouldn’t see my son, so we have to make choices and save where we can,” she said. “We used to joke about wearing an extra jumper at home, now we do. “Brandon watches the news, so he knows what’s going on. Selling some of his old toys means he doesn’t have to ask us for pocket money.” Image: Brandon and Amy Dempsey She adds: “We’re lucky to only have one child – I honestly don’t know how older families manage. You just have to hope things get better.” Asked what he’s thinking about selling his game consoles, Brandon replied: “It’s fine. I know the costs are going up and mom has to pay to feed us and help us. “Also, I play less on my computer every day because mom says we should save electricity. “So I just try to play outside or be with my family.” “It’s a huge problem” James Anderson, who is the founder of Depher, a plumbing charity in Wigan, said he expected people to die after having to choose between heating and food. Image: James Anderson “It’s not a crack anymore, it’s not a small problem, it’s a huge problem. A lot of people will starve or turn to things they don’t want to support their families,” he said. “A lot of people come winter will be choosing between food and warmth. A lot of people are going to be in a position where they’re going to die and suffer. I’ve had countless people call me wanting to kill themselves.” “I don’t want to be charged” Godfrey and Jeanette Ward spoke to Sky News about their mounting bills. Mrs. Ward is suffering from pneumonia and her husband said she must “watch my money” or they will be charged. Mr Ward said he usually puts £50-£60 a week on his prepaid gas and electricity meter. “I can manage, but we’ll have to see that (in October). We only turn things on when we want to, like the TV. We usually turn on the TV around 5pm,” he said. Image: Godfrey and Jeanette Ward Asked how they would manage their bills in the winter, Mr Ward said they would heat “probably two rooms upstairs and the front room”. “We’ve had good weather and we don’t need it, it’s only at night when it’s a little cold, but it’s when winter comes, I can’t tell you how I’ll do it, but I’ll have to do it. “We’ll have to make it somehow or we’ll go into debt and I don’t want that. I don’t want to borrow money. Right now, I’ve got a pocketbook so I can save until I go on the days. It’s nice to get out especially with the weather as it is”. “I don’t know how long I can go on” Lola Tamakio, a 56-year-old jewelery seller from east London, told Sky News correspondent Milena Veselinovic she was “really worried” at the prospect of paying higher energy bills and said she had cut her prices because people weren’t buying anymore. Image: Lola Tamakloe “I would expect to have money in my account, but I go there and there would be no money, the electricity and gas have taken it,” he said. “So I don’t know how long I’ll go on or how other people will go on like this. “Something I’m selling for £25, I’ve just sold for £20. What we’re selling isn’t cheap. You pay for the stock early in the morning and then you pray, ‘God, please let me sell.’ “If you don’t sell then you can’t pay your rent. You can’t buy anything extra, you have to pay rent to the council. And that’s the only job I know how to do.” “We lost 20% of our customers” Another trader, Alec John, believes his carpet business will lose even more customers soon. Image: Alec John “I’m very worried about losing market place because we can’t afford the electricity bills,” he told Sky News. “It’s summer and day now, but soon it’ll be winter – we’ll have to pay a lot of money and I’m not sure we can afford it. “We’ve lost 20% of our customers and we’ll lose more in January. We sell carpets, which aren’t cheap. People will have to spend money on gas and electricity, they won’t have money to spend here.” The 41-year-old added: “We know we will lose a lot of customers because the electricity and gas will go up. “We know we’re going to lose, like, more than 50% of our customers. Sure, we know that.” “A lot of people will really struggle” Image: Osman on the counter with his shoes Osman, 33, who owns a shoe stall, has seen the cost of living crisis bite his customers and is eating into his livelihood “People don’t want to pay full price anymore – I still have to pay for the stock, but people say their bills are too high and they want a discount. “It’s very worrying because I don’t know that I’m going to make my rent – even if I don’t sell, I have to make rent,” he said. Lorna Fillingham, from Lincolnshire, said the latest increase would have a “huge impact” and “a lot of people in our situation … will really struggle”. Her daughter Emily-May, 12, has a rare genetic condition which means she has physical disabilities and severe learning difficulties. They use the washing machine “constantly” for bedding and clothes, use extra heating as Emily-May has trouble regulating her temperature and often cook, freeze and reheat separate meals for her as she has multiple allergies. Image: Lorna Fillingham and daughter Emily-May Ms Fillingham, 50, is calling for disability benefits to rise in line with rising inflation and said the £150 cost-of-living one-off payment for millions of disabled people from next month “will not cut corners”. The former nurse, who stopped working in 2014 to look after her daughter, said: “I don’t know what we can reduce if energy prices are so high we can’t afford it anymore without going into capacity. debt. “I can’t see how this is going to go unchallenged at the ballot box at some point, because if you can’t afford to eat, heat your house and keep the most vulnerable people in society safe and free from hardship, I can’t see how the people can turn a blind eye to it and vote the same way.” “Everyone has unique situations” Michael and Paul Atwall-Brice are full-time carers for their two sons who have autism, epilepsy and other disabilities and are also foster parents to twin boys. They told Sky News their gas and electricity bill has doubled from £200 to £400 a month and will likely rise to £600 now. Image: Michael (left) and Paul Atwall-Brice Michael said: “I think we’re just seeing, like everyone else, increases, the bills keep going up and up. Obviously, for families like ours, with children with disabilities, you’re at home a lot more and there’s a lot more equipment such as electric wheelchairs, electric beds, the whole building for the sensory equipment. “It’s just ridiculous with the fuel and everything on top because we have a wheelchair accessible vehicle. “Well it’s a big lorry and it takes £120 a week in fuel now, just to get the boys to their dates and school, it’s just ridiculous.” Paul added that “it’s a very worrying time” for his family. “As a parent, to a severely disabled child, your time is lost. You need to be at home a lot more and you know, you’re there to take care of them,” she said. “If we don’t do it, who’s going to do it for these kids on our property? We have very specialized equipment. We have a three-story elevator. And, you know, it’s all connected to electricity. Image: Michael (back left) and Paul Atwall-Brice (back right) with their children “They have electric beds to keep them safe, all this specialized equipment that people don’t often think about, but for us it’s the norm. “But there are so many families out there who are in the same situation as us.” He added that the government should start looking at “personal situations, it doesn’t work for everyone in the same situation”. Subscribe to the Daily Podcast for free on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Spreaker “We’ll pull together, that’s all we can do” For Gordon and Florence Mitchell, the energy price hikes come as their pregnant daughter has been diagnosed with breast cancer and Gordon has prostate cancer while also awaiting a triple heart bypass. Mitchell was diagnosed four and a half years ago and given about four years. He said his biggest concern is that with the bills mounting, he’s not “looking forward to my wife dealing with it all next year.” Image: Gordon and Florence Mitchell Ms Mitchell said: “We have to manage it and, you know, when you go shopping, you watch the prices, you take the luxuries out, you don’t go out for meals maybe as often as you would, just generally trying to be careful. which you don’t need because…
