The cost of living crisis is truly starting to bite as bills skyrocket with more people are seeking support from Citizens Advice than at any point during the pandemic.

Naomi, a caseworker at Citizens Advice West Oxfordshire, said: “I am seeing desperation. People are having to rob Peter to pay Paul. Each week people need to decide which is their priority – do they pay for heating, rent or food.

"I have single men crying on the phone. Their heating is not on yet they can see the metre is running. It is terrifying.”

Mick* who held a senior position at the Honda plant in Swindon before it closed, used Witney and West Oxfordshire Foodbank when he went on Universal Credit and found benefits did not give him enough to live on.

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He said: “If it wasn’t for the foodbank I don’t know what I would have done. I just turned up on spec because I needed food. I was paying £750 a month for a one-bed flat in Witney and I just could not cover the bills.

“In the end I decided to go back up north as there was just no way I could afford to live in the Witney area.”

Alison* worked in finance until being signed off work sick two years ago and regularly uses Carterton Foodbank.

She said: “Although the price of heating has soared it’s not been too bad as the weather has got warmer. But last year I was paying £30 a month and now it’s £80 a month – it’s a huge jump. I’ve got three blankets and a duvet on the bed and I’m scheduling when to have a shower.

“I’ve had an operation on my foot but it’s too expensive to run my car and I’ve only got a little Fiesta, £10 gets you nowhere nowadays.

"Foodwise I’m living off the basics – pasta, tinned tomatoes. I’m so bored of eating pasta."

She added: "I don’t think people will be feeling the cost over the next few months but I’ve heard heating is going up again in October and that terrifies me. If people are struggling now what’s it going to be like then.

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"If it wasn’t for the foodbank and people like Cllr Lynn Little, who runs it, I don’t know what I’d do."

Teresa Archer, chief officer at Citizens Advice West Oxfordshire said it was "an extremely worrying time for many".

She said: "With the 54% rise to the energy price cap, the loss of the £20 per week Universal Credit uplift and increasing food costs, we encourage those people who are in debt or are struggling to budget to get in touch so we can help them through these challenging times.

"The £200 energy loan announced by Government last week will be given to all households in October 2022. Whilst this will help some people in the short term, it will still have to be paid back in the longer term keeping bills higher for longer.”

Oxfordshire County Council has vowed help those struggling.

At a full council meeting last week, Councillor Calum Miller, cabinet member for finance, said it will take “targeted actions to help with energy and food costs” and despite increasing costs, will continue to provide “essential” services to people.

“This council provides a number of services include care for the older and vulnerable adults, high quality free school meals and investment in public transport and active travel, that are crucial for those on lower incomes,” he said.

Meanwhile chair of the Witney and West Oxfordshire Foodbank Mick Morris said: “We are definitely seeing more referrals and the people who come to us are in the category called working poor. These are people who are in work but can’t keep up.

“This is a perfect storm – rises in fuel prices, National Insurance contributions, we have got a whole tsunami of stuff to deal with now.”

*Names have been changed

Citizens Advice Oxfordshire is currently recruiting. For more information, click on the link

https://citizensadvicewestoxon.org/the-trussell-trust-financial-inclusion-adviser/

https://citizensadvicewestoxon.org/2021/12/15/citizens-advice-partner-with-the-trussell-trust-food-banks-to-help-more-people-through-these-difficult-times/