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Sky News is following the lives of three families who all face a difficult winter ahead. With energy and food bills rising, they say they are dreading the next few months.
Jackie & Jason
Jackie lives with her partner Jason and their three children – Skyler, seven, Kayde, six, and four-year-old Marshall.
She was working several jobs before the pandemic hit, but had to leave work to care for her terminally-ill mother.
Jackie is now keeping a close eye on how much electricity and gas she’s using since prices went up earlier in the week.
Ofgem, the energy regulator, raised the price cap so that companies could charge their customers more. It’s an emergency measure in light of the global surge in demand for gas.
Jackie has a meter in the kitchen and it’s flashing to show that she’s now in her emergency supply.
“Everything’s going up,” she said.
“The cost of living, the gas, the electric, food. I’m already feeling it.”
She’s not alone. Gas and electricity is going up for 15 million families as the cap on their tariffs rises.
The cooker has been broken for a year so meals have been made using one hob.
Jackie and Jason have applied for a grant from the local council in the hope that they can buy a new one.
“It’s not just the pandemic. It’s everything,” said Jackie.
“I lost my job and it has been horrendous. It’s been really frustrating. It’s hard work living in poverty. I was poor before the pandemic. Nothing changed. Nothing’s going to change.
Helen & Freya
Helen is a postwoman and lives just outside Bristol with her eight-year-old daughter, Freya.
She relies on Universal Credit and is losing £20 per week now the government has ended the uplift that began at the start of the pandemic.
The government has promised to increase access to well-paid jobs and support people to improve their skills as part of…
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Source : skynews
