‘A drop in the ocean’: Birmingham responds to Sunak’s mini-budget
In the nine years she has volunteered at the Ward End Elim church food bank in Birmingham’s Hodge Hill, Pat Woolridge has never known so many people to be struggling. Read More
Vampire appliances: the electronics sucking your wallet dry
Name: Vampire appliances. Age: There are old ones, and less old ones. Appearance: Again, it varies. Some are slim and pale, others boxy. Some of them glow, others flash at Read More
House price growth outstrips wages in 90% of England and Wales
House price rises outstripped wage growth in more than 90% of England and Wales last year, according to official data that prompted talk of a possible full-blown “affordability crisis”. The Read More
UK living standards ‘to fall at fastest rate since mid-1950s’
Living standards in Britain are expected to fall at the fastest annual rate since the mid-1950s and will take until at least 2024 to return to pre-Covid levels, according to Read More
UK households could face £2.4bn bill for energy firm collapses
Households could end up funding £2.4bn of payments to energy suppliers that took on the customers of rivals that collapsed as a result of sky-high gas prices, the energy watchdog Read More
Rishi Sunak lowers fuel duty by 5p and promises income tax cut
Rishi Sunak has cut fuel duty by 5p a litre, raised the threshold at which workers start paying national insurance by £3,000 a year and announced a future 1p reduction Read More
Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland to shut 60 branches
Lloyds Banking Group has announced it will shut another 60 branches across the UK, in the latest example of the rapid decline of lenders on the high street. The closures Read More
Food bank users declining potatoes as cooking costs too high, says Iceland boss
Some food bank users are declining items such as potatoes as they cannot afford the energy to boil them, the boss of the supermarket Iceland has said, as the soaring Read More