Community organisations exasperated with a lack of government support are taking matters into their own hands
Fur Clemt, meaning “very hungry” in Wigan dialect, is a much-loved community supermarket which sells unsold or overproduced food at a heavily discounted price to local people struggling with their household budgets. Since December, its owner, Shirley Southworth, has observed a shift: “We’ve seen membership soar and become more varied … It’s not just people on benefits, it’s those who are just about managing, people trying to keep their head above water.”
What’s changed is the cost of living crisis, which has resulted in household spending rising most for those on the lowest incomes, who have the smallest margins and are unable to cut down on luxuries. This is not just the 20% of households living in poverty in Pemberton, where Fur Clemt is based, but also many families who are better-off.
For Southworth, the volunteer-run organisation is about local people taking control. “It’s about doing something for yourself and not having it done to you … Wigan is a Labour-run council and they’re really supportive, but I’m not sure with central government there’s much connection between what’s going on on the ground and what they perceive.”
Her scepticism is reflected in new polling of 2,164 people, which showed that just 14% trusted the government to solve the cost of living crisis, according to New Local, a thinktank that represents councils and advocates for community-run services. More than two-thirds (68%) argued that more power should be given to local communities to tackle the issue themselves, and nearly four-fifths (79%) said Westminster and Whitehall were making decisions “about people and places they know little about”.
