Cost of living in Brighton and Hove soars

11:52am Wednesday 16th April 2008

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Families are facing a battle to survive as living costs soar by almost £250 a month.

There have been large increases in the cost of food, petrol, mortgages, utility bills and other household expenses in the past year.

And experts say the cost of living in Brighton and Hove has reached such proportions it is forcing families into increasingly desperate measures just to avoid sliding further into debt.

A spokesman for the Citizens' Advice Bureau in Sussex said: "We regularly speak to families who are having to take on extra jobs or find other sources of income just to keep up with the cost of living.

"There are families out there who are falling apart because of the stress and strain it is causing."

An average fuel bill for a family with two cars has risen by almost £400 as petrol across the city has soared to £1.10 a litre from around 96p in the past year.

Council tax bills have gone up by an average of £78, energy bills have risen by £140 and water bills are up by £30.

Family food bills have risen by about £600 as global shortages of grain and other commodities begin to force up costs.

Research by The Argus suggests the average family in the Brighton and Hove area must now fork out an extra £2,965 on essentials compared with last year - an average of £247 a month. The average wage in the city currently stands at £29,000 with average take home pay of about £21,000.

Brighton Kemptown MP Des Turner acknowledged that city's families are being hit by ever increasing costs but said there was little the Government could do.

He said: "There is nothing we can do about the cost of oil or commodities because these are world problems.

"The cost of living has risen and there are things which the Government has done to help where it has been possible. But some of the rises we have seen recently are not things ministers can influence."

Food costs have risen for a range of reasons, including poor weather affecting crops.

City residents have also faced other rising costs in the past year, including an increase in parking costs and higher taxes on luxuries such as beer and eating out.

With fears over the wider economy looming and uncertainty in the housing market, experts say families, individuals and businesses may all be forced to tighten their belts.

Homeowners are being hit with increased mortgage costs because of the credit crunch.

Those coming off fixed-rate mortgage deals are being particularly affected by large jumps in the amount they must repay each month.

Alistair Smith, chief executive of West Sussex Economic Partnership, said: "It is already harder to get credit than it was a year ago and that is going to have a knock-on effect.

"But it is very much a case of waiting to see what will happen."

Figures due to be released at the beginning of May are expected to show an increased number of repossessions and bankruptcies in the city.

Conservative Brighton and Hove city councillor Maria Caulfield, who represents the Moulsecoomb and Bevendean ward, said: "People are feeling the pinch and that is certainly why we as a council have tried to keep council tax as low as we can.

"The main thing I hear on the doorstep is people cannot afford a place to live, either to rent or to buy."

Simon Kirby, a Conservative East Sussex county councillor and the party's prospective parliamentary candidate for Brighton Kemptown, said: "It's easy to say it is down to energy prices, to food prices outside the control of the Government but at the end of the day, the Government has a responsibility to help people out when it gets tough and they are making it difficult for people.

"The Government should be looking to reduce the tax burden."

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