I was invited with my fellow commissioners to share our experiences of poverty and the current cost of living crisis with Lord Richard Walker, who is the government’s Cost of Living Champion and Lizzi Collinge, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale. This felt like a positive action to take, being able to share my voice on behalf of many.

There were particularly comforting vibes on a rainy, gloomy day in Morecambe, when the cost of living continues to hit people hard. Being listened to by the Citizens Advice representatives and trustees present also seemed important, as CAB is a lifeline service for many.  Note here that not everyone is aware of the fantastic services on offer by CAB until they are signposted.

During the discussion with Lord Walker, commissioners mentioned the cost of living struggles and a lack of awareness on benefits and schemes available locally. Like being left in dire straits of how to afford that monthly energy bill and not being aware of social tariffs when you are in receipt of benefit. A commissioner from round two expressed her concerns regarding the complicated criteria and application process for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Carers Allowance. Here it was noted by our group and Lord Walker that a lot of concerns with poverty stem from a ‘forced hand’ by the powers that be from above.

With respect to affordable shopping prices, many of us agreed that the use of food banks and food clubs is a major problem. One member of the group highlighted that living in poverty can even mean not being able to afford delivery slots for supermarket home deliveries. This further creates a dilemma for people who are housebound or in rural areas.  Others expressed concern about the cost of transport, with bus tickets becoming more expensive and not always user-friendly for timings and routes, school stops and school bus passes. There was an example given of disability and health needs worsening due to bullying by school age service users.

As young people and families face poverty and obstacles to employment, many are caught unaware of what support is available to them when desperately struggling to afford essential needs. One of our fellow commissioners shared factors such as a lack of support, awareness, claiming benefits and vouchers, while structural policies such as the two-child benefit cap have had an impact on this.

Lord Walker was actively listening to our voices on the above then we focused on the ‘bigger picture’. Elements of housing were mentioned, with cost of living now leading to everyday people facing rent and landlord problems, plus a knock-on effect of long-term health conditions. We shared our lived experience of barriers during the moving home process, or moving to areas with antisocial behaviours. Lizzi Collinge reflected on our social housing views and respectfully agreed that properties are limited in our area.

As a group, we were able to highlight some valid points to Lizzi Collinge and Lord Walker. Although a testing and somewhat emotional meeting, it felt productive to recognise the challenges explored throughout and satisfying that they were heard and acknowledged. There may be no definite easy answers or quick fixes at present, but we left knowing we had raised our voices, and as a bonus, Lord Walker now has an understanding of what a PTC does, just as our community of Lancaster and Morecambe would have wanted.