Britons call for change as ‘people can’t survive in these conditions’
Britons have called for change as the cost of living crisis worsens, with a shopkeeper telling GB News “people cannot survive the current conditions”.
The cost of living is rising again. British inflation rose unexpectedly last month with food prices at their highest rate for more than 45 years – hitting consumers struggling to pay their bills.
Residents in Horsham, West Sussex say they are shocked at how much a small basket of groceries now costs. Combined with the rising costs of mortgages, rent and utilities, many had to dig deep to stay afloat.
Muhammad Arshad runs Noor Cash and Carry. He says he has been forced to raise his prices and customers are struggling with the increase.
Arshad said: “There are many problems. People are sacrificing too much right now. All prices have gone up. We spent a lot of money on the store.
Muhammad Arshad runs Noor Cash and Carry. He says he has been forced to raise his prices and customers are struggling with the increase.
GB News
“We try to sell, to convince the people, but they say the price is too much everywhere. People cannot survive in this condition.”
One local woman told me she and her husband both earn minimum wage. They saw price increases across the board – yet their salaries stayed the same. They are fed up with the recent strikes.
She said: “Of course we would all like more money, but realize our employers don’t have the funds to pay us more. While we have to find ways to cut our costs to pay for essentials, the public sector is just holding the rest of us to ransom for more money that will inevitably come from our taxpayers.”
One positive amid the price increases is an overall drop in the price of motor fuel. The ONS says the annual interest rate fell to 4.6 percent in February from 7.7 percent in January.
James Harris runs local transport company HGS Southern. Its seven lorries deliver recycled soil from new buildings to landfills around Sussex and Surrey and pass around 60,000 liters of diesel each month. When prices peaked, his fuel costs rose by 45 per cent to £36,000 each month. However, this has now fallen to £26,000.
He said: “At the time we found it incredibly difficult to make money. We had to put in 5 percent fuel surcharges just to make sure we could actually survive. Now the prices have come down, we’re starting to see a bit more profit.”
Despite running a successful business, James says his profits are not where they were or should be for the amount of effort he puts in.
He continued: “I struggle from month to month to pay my bills. We have a good business going and still no disposable income. We really had to cut back and go through with a fine tooth comb to make sure we weren’t losing money. We are being pushed to the limit and we need more help.”
However, James counts himself among the lucky ones. For many companies, the change in motor fuel prices came too late.
He added: “There are a lot of companies that are really struggling and we’ve seen several businesses fail. I’ve had friends that have had to close because it’s just not viable and I think there’s more to come.”
