EVEN on a Sunday morning, MP Robert Halfon’s inbox is flooded with desperate messages from hard-working families who can no longer make ends meet.
Sitting in front of his laptop, the Tory member for Harlow admits: “There is real gut-wrenching fear out there
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“People are being buried under a mountain of bills. They are absolutely terrified. I’ve seen nothing like it in my time as an MP, even during austerity.
“If we don’t do something for people now I think many will genuinely face destitution.”
For almost 12 years Robert has represented the white working-class Essex town where six out of ten people have less than £125 left at the end of the month.
And unless Chancellor Rishi Sunak helps them out in his Spring Statement on Wednesday, that £125 will be swallowed up by rocketing prices.
Across the UK there are millions of desperate people in thousands of towns like Harlow, praying for the Government to give them a break in the battle against soaring costs.
Home to 90,000 people, new town Harlow is a political bellwether of Britain — meaning it reflects the national voting trends at election time, and has always had an MP from the governing party.
The average wage among Harlow’s full-time workers is £25,000 a year. Almost a third of households (29 per cent) earn less than £20,000.
So the latest price rises, which have seen diesel shoot up to £1.80 a litre at forecourts in the town, are already having an impact.
And that’s before the Government brings in a 1.25 per cent percentage point increase in National Insurance, and next month’s energy price cap rise pushes average bills to around £2,000 a year.
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On top of that, the cost of food and services such as phones and broadband are expected to rise by around eight per cent soon.
In Harlow yesterday, locals told how rising prices are already affecting their lives.
But they are hoping the Chancellor will help them by cutting fuel duty and giving tax breaks to those who are just about managing.
Fifty MPs have already called on Mr Sunak to cut fuel duty by 5p a litre on Wednesday, as record pump prices could give the Treasury a £1.9billion windfall.
But while the Chancellor yesterday refused to rule it out, he admitted things are “not going to be easy”.
Yesterday Julie Myers, 56, was in Harlow town centre buying food bargains for the cafe she runs on a building site in Welwyn Garden City, Herts.
She told The Sun: “I’m now spending more time shopping to get the cheapest prices for the ingredients for my cafe, as my customers won’t pay any more for their meals and I can’t afford to lose any of them.
“Food prices have gone up by about 20 per cent in the past few weeks, making it much harder to make a profit.”
Her husband Tony, 54, is a customer care worker on a construction site in Chelmsford.
He said: “The rising cost of fuel is making my travelling to work an expensive weekly outlay on top of driving Julie to the shops.
“The cost of fuel to fill up my car has gone from £85 a couple of weeks ago to £105.”
He is backing Mr Halfon’s campaign for the Chancellor to cut fuel duty this week which, thanks to The Sun, has been frozen at 57.95p a litre since 2011.
The MP said: “Every year I campaign for a fuel duty cut, but this time we need a big cut because these are the people doing the right thing and working but they are struggling to feed their families.”
Mum Michelle Nicholls, 47, who earns £8,000 a year as a cleaner, does not know how her family is going to cope.
She said: “There’s not a lot left to go out and have fun. That’s already squeezed.
‘EXPENSIVE OUTLAY’
“I know they don’t have a magic money tree in Downing Street but I hope that they can help us.”
Michelle and her partner Wilf, a £25,000-a-year delivery driver, have already stopped going on trips and nights out after the cost of their weekly shop rose from £80 to £119.
They are also considering not sending their 13-year-old son on school excursions, and Michelle’s dance classes will probably be next.
Harlow pensioner Brenda Morton is a full-time carer for her grandson Sam Claydon, 24.
She said: “Sam has special needs and I find the rising cost of fuel a real problem. To save money, I try to walk with Sam whenever I can, but three quarters of an hour’s walk into town to buy food is just too much for me.”
The 72-year-old now goes out less in a bid to make her pension stretch to cover bills.
The Harlow branch of Citizens Advice has seen a 127 per cent increase in the number of people needing help with energy debts since last year.
There has also been a steady rise in the number of pupils qualifying for free school meals, according to Laura Ciftci, head teacher at the town’s Jerounds Primary Academy.
Siobhan Dean, a learning support assistant at the school, is on £1,000 a month after tax. She has already stopped using her car.
Her husband, who works in building maintenance, volunteered for a 20 per cent pay cut during the pandemic, and the family, with three children, was struggling.
Siobhan said: “There will be a point when people like me have to start selling things.
“We are seeing families have to choose whether to heat their homes or feed their children.”
She believes the Government should force energy and oil firms to save some profits when times are good to use at times like this to keep prices down.
Cabbie Martin Davies has been a taxi driver in Harlow for 15 years. With diesel prices at £1.80 a litre, he needs to make £550 a week to break even after paying the minicab agency and the rent on his car.
But his clients are using taxis less, and Martin told The Sun: “It’s getting a bit like during Covid. Although you are earning more now, the costs are taking all your profits.”
‘BASIC NEEDS’
Sales manager Simon Green, 41, from Harlow, has sympathy for the Government having to deal with the pandemic, and now the Ukraine crisis.
He added: “But the Government needs to help families like mine on Wednesday with the rising cost of energy and food bills.
“I’d like to see the proposed green tax postponed for now for more help to be given towards people’s basic daily needs.”
Retired security firm boss Steve LeMay, 60, who has lived in Harlow for 40 years, said: “These are proud, hard-working people who are trying, post-Covid, to rebuild their lives and businesses.
“A lot of tradespeople from Harlow travel to work in London. A lot of the lads have got older vans and they have to pay all the Mayor’s charges, massive parking fees, and now their diesel has gone through the roof.
“They’re at a tipping point and they need help now.”
Dan Swords is just 21 and a cabinet member on Harlow’s Tory council, which is cutting its council tax bills by £55 from next month on top of the national £150 cost-of-living rebate for cheaper homes.
He said: “People in Harlow really like Boris Johnson. He gets it, he’s one of us — a grafter.
“They’re realists. They don’t blame the Government for Covid, the rising price of petrol or the war in Ukraine.
“But they will blame us if we don’t help them on Wednesday.
“There are times everyone needs help, and this is one of them. Just taking the sting out won’t be enough.”
MP Robert added: “There are no ifs or buts, we have to give people something that will help them.
“No delays — we have to start straight away.”
Simple ways to save ££s
By MARTYN JAMES Consumer Rights Expert
THERE’S no getting away from the fact 2022 is going to be a much more expensive year. While there are no easy answers, there are steps you can take to cut your outgoings.
THE 54 per cent rise in the price cap for energy bills will undoubtedly lead to a wave of concern. Because we cannot switch energy to save money, scrutinise your bills for errors, and cut usage.
Energy regulator Ofgem has rules that say providers must work with you to come up with an affordable plan – but you have to be prepared to give them some details of your circumstances.
- FOOD INCREASES
A SAVVY shopper can save a huge amount by bulk-buying key items, but consider – is the food really reduced, will you realistically use it, and have you got freezer space?
Another trick is to go to a store later in the evening, around 9pm, when you will get the best reduced deals.
- PETROL RISES
SUPERMARKETS tend to be a few pence per litre cheaper than the big brands. To find out the best deals near you, sign up to some of the free neighbourhood apps or groups on social media.
You might want to try signing up to the loyalty schemes offered by most petrol providers.
- INTEREST RATES
BASE interest rates have gone up to 0.75 per cent – the second rise in three months, because inflation has hit a 30-year high.
Don’t wait around for your bank to raise your rate. Shop around and move your cash to get the best deal – loyalty costs.
THE banning of loyalty charges – where firms charge loyal customers more than new customers each year – means that for many of us, the cost of insurance will go up.
You have a window of opportunity to change insurer because they must give you four weeks’ notice of your renewal.
COUNCIL tax and water bills are both likely to rise next month. With council tax you can potentially spread your payments thinner, over 12 months rather than ten.
There are also discounts for a range of situations, including living alone, being a student or carer, being in the Armed Forces, on benefits or vulnerable.
Water bills are a bit trickier, but you are entitled to compensation for delays fixing problems. And water companies have a range of free options on their websites to help you save money and reduce bills.
- BROADBAND/MOBILES
MOST broadband contracts have clauses allowing the businesses to increase prices above the rate of inflation.
This might come as a shock to people on fixed-term deals with a way to go before their contract ends.
Watch out for announcements on this in the coming weeks.
If you’ve come to the end of your broadband deal you are probably overpaying. The best estimates suggest that you could save at least £150 by switching.
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