In the summer issue of our email newsletter we asked tenants how the cost of living was affecting them so far. We had 151 responses to the survey.
| Are you worse off financially than you were three months ago? | |
| Yes | 75% |
| No | 10% |
| Exactly the same | 10% |
| Don’t know | 5% |
| How worried are you about being able to pay your bills due to the increase in energy costs? | |
| Very worried | 43% |
| Slightly worried | 43% |
| Not worried | 13% |
| Don’t know | 1% |
| What, if anything, have you reduced spending on? Answer all that apply. | |
| Entertainment and leisure | 100 votes |
| Food and drink | 90 votes |
| Petrol or diesel | 42 votes |
| Other | 32 votes |
| Nothing | 10 votes |
| Have you used a foodbank this year? | |
| Yes | 11% |
| No | 82% |
| Prefer not to say | 7% |
| Have you felt pressure to take on extra work or another job to help cope with rising costs? | |
| Yes | 31% |
| No | 62% |
| Don’t know | 7% |
| What is your biggest concern about the cost of living crisis? | |
| Energy | 52% |
| Buying food | 33% |
| Fuel | 12% |
| Other | 3% |
| Which, if any, rises in costs are you experiencing? Please tick all that apply. | |
| Groceries and food | 119 votes |
| Household heating / energy | 114 votes |
| Petrol or diesel | 70 votes |
| Rent | 41 votes |
| Healthcare | 18 votes |
| Public transport | 10 votes |
| Childcare | 4 votes |
| None of the above | 1 vote |
| Has your mental health been negatively impacted by rises in the cost of living? | |
| Yes | 59% |
| No | 32% |
| Don’t know | 9% |
| Would you like someone from our income team to contact you for help or advice on money, benefits or support to maintain your tenancy? | |
| Yes | 16% |
| No | 84% |
| How old are you? | |
| 18 – 30 | 13% |
| 31 – 40 | 13% |
| 41 – 50 | 10% |
| 51 – 60 | 27% |
| 61 – 70 | 23% |
| 71+ | 14% |
| Is there anything else you want to tell us about how the cost of living increase is impacting you? |
| I would say it’s impacting on my everyday life having to check to make sure I have enough for shopping budgeting more taking money from another bill to pay another bill being short on paying gas bills due to how much it’s costing and not having enough to put away for the bill I’m being phoned daily from SSE to pay my gas bill off over £200 for a month’s gas that I hardly use due to not being able to afford it and yet it’s still that price |
| My sky and electricity and gas bills |
| I have to rely on friends and family to take me to and from doctors/hospital appointments etc and I worry about the extra cost to their fuel bill in doing so. |
| When are we getting the £133 towards our energy bills? |
| That I have storage heaters and if I could get my heating changed to something more affordable then it would make a big difference to my energy usage and cut the cost down dramatically |
| Petrol costs and cost of going out |
| I feel the people working and barely making ends meet are being affected the most. We don’t have the government support of getting free school meals, uniform grants etc, we have to pay full rent & rents are barely entitled to any financial help with costs. |
| Moving out |
| Drafty windows and doors don’t help with the heating |
| I have spoken to Cairn and they have helped me with a one of payment for heating. I’m not sure what else you can do as I work and am not entitled to benefits. I have had to take out a Trust deed and I am not entitled to benefits. |
| I just want to highlight the shocking rise in the cost of food, my food bills used to be just under £90 a month they’re now more than £150. |
| The increase in daily living has affected so bad that I can’t afford to travel for my hospital appointments all the time. We have had to cut down on our food shop as well |
| Just that I’m struggling at the moment. |
| The increase is not affecting me too much as of now . |
| I worry about my overall health. |
| I’m only working 3 day week at moment as I’m medically unfit to work just gone through 91/2 surgery last week and I’m going on sick for 3 months and will struggle |
| I think it would be advantageous for Scottish power to install new meters/smart meter. Also the type of storage heaters in our homes are extremely expensive in regard to Electricity cost. I am recovering from cancer and require at least a little heat on. |
| It’s really worrying when you could previously fill your car with petrol for £30 and it is now £56. I was always in credit with my energy bills but recently have been in debit. We are all seeing how much the cost of living is affecting us. |
| It is affecting my wellbeing worrying at night and causing sleep loss and anxiety. |
| My mental health is worse am worried and don’t have heating on much just use blankets and switch everything off at night and use the TV less in bed and having early nights with my son |
| Just food and electricity |
| In the same newsletter in which this survey was mentioned, you put a link to an article regarding energy saving suggestions. It states that it’s cheaper to have a shower than to have a bath. Isn’t it high time Cairn put showers in their houses which still have a bath. I much rather see you spending money on that than wasting money on replacing my kitchen which is still perfectly fine. |
| It makes you think of cutting back on all your essentials and living costs to make sure your update on all the other stuff you need to do and you worry if your next bill is heavy or just the same as last month or more. |
| I tend to reduce food shopping and don’t look at things that would be handy to have. They are not a need, just a want |
| nope will play it by ear, hoping if I need orthopaedic surgery to go private to avoid the dire NHS waiting lists |
| Because of my physical and mental health am staying home more had to pay out for travel to hospital cause of buses not reliable had to take a taxi to train station to get the train and hospital doesn’t cover these costs I had appointment at start of the month and when went to claim back office was shut so still waiting for my money back from start of June still not been able to save any money to get flooring which upsets me and gets me very down |
| When is it going to end? Bring on the independence referendum. |
| I have to go without food some days to put money in my electric. |
| I can’t save any money for Christmas or treats for my grandchildren |
| It’s all very worrying but we all have to tighten our belts until this crisis is over. There’s no point in complaining about it. |
| It’s not just the cost of heating but how inefficient the heating system is and no one cares |
| Only buying necessities food wise. Not eating out so not socialising with friends who are doing the same. |
| We are now at a point of seriously having to choose between eating and heating |
| Everything has gone up from the rent too cost of living. |
| Having to watch how much energy and food I can allow myself to have |
| Diagnosed as not fit to work now. Applying for benefits. Living on UC AND SSP at the moment. |
| Given the increase in energy supply, I feel that our home isn’t sufficiently insulated/protected for the colder seasons. Our windows were installed in 1999 and we have had several panels replaced due to burst units. There is also a repair required in the roof. We have been reluctant to call you as we’re embarrassed by the condition of our decor….we need help. |
| I think more than anything at the moment is energy and definitely food! Shopping has doubled if not tripled even though I’m still buying the same! It’s crazy!! |
Summary
Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to this survey and how the cost of living is impacting you and your family. From the information we received, tenants up and down the country are concerned and struggling. We understand the pressures that are on household budgets and the challenges that everyone is facing. Some tenants have requested we get in touch, which we will do.
If you have any concerns about being able to pay for your rent or service charge, or if you are struggling with your money in any other way, please get in touch. Our dedicated team will do our best to help you and there are specialist agencies we can refer you to if we are unable to. It is always better to talk to us early on, but it is never too late to get in touch.
