Cost of living crisis
Cost of living crisis
What is the cost of living crisis?
The cost of things people need, like food, gas, electricity and petrol is going up quickly.
Some people are being asked to pay more for their care as well.
Wages and benefits are not going up as quickly, so it might get harder for people to pay for things they need.
How might it affect me?
You might find it harder to pay for food and other things you need.
The high price of fresh and healthy food might make it difficult to eat a balanced diet.
Your weekly shopping might cost more than usual.
This might mean you have to buy less.
You might need to spend less on the things you like, but are not things you need.
It might cost more money to pay for gas and electricity for your home.
You might not notice this in the spring and summer, because the weather is warmer and there are more hours of daylight.
You might notice it in the winter when most people need to use more gas and electric to keep their homes warm, or to cook hot food.
In January, April, July and October, Ofgem decides the energy price cap. Ofgem is part of
the government
The Government are the people who run the country. The Government decide how much
tax
Tax is the money that pays for things like schools, hospitals and the police. There are different types of taxes like
income tax
Income tax is the money that is taken out of the money you earn every month. It helps to pay for things we all need like hospitals and schools.
,
VAT
VAT is also called Value Added Tax. VAT is the extra money you pay when you buy things. The money goes to the government to pay for things like schools and hospitals.
and
council tax
Council
A council is also called a
local authority
A local authority is also called a council. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live like schools,
social care
Social care means the services that give care and support to people who need it.
(support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live. These include: schools, social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
Tax is the money that people pay to the
council
A council is also called a
local authority
A local authority is also called a council. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live like schools,
social care
Social care means the services that give care and support to people who need it.
(support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live. These include: schools, social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
. It helps to pay for things like social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
.
people should pay and how things like the National Health
Service
A service gives people what they need, like healthcare services that help people when they are ill, and support services that give people support.
(NHS) should work.
.
The energy price cap is how much money energy companies can charge for gas and electricity.
For more information about the energy price cap, go to our energy price cap page.
You can get help and advice on our
website
A website is a page you can go to on the internet like Google or YouTube.
at www.mencap.org.uk/COL
If you are worried about money, contact our
Learning Disability
A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things.
Helpline:
- Call us Monday to Friday on 0808 808 1111
- Email us at helpline@mencap.org.uk
Thank you to British Gas Energy Trust for funding.
Back to the cost of living hub.
This page was reproduced 07/10/2024 from a pdf which was first published 15/06/2022.
This information was last updated 27/11/2024.