"The essentials for a dignified life are already gone," says Debbie Webster, the manager of the charitable St Ann's Advice Centre. Ms Webster may sound like a 'prophet of doom' to some, but, for many, the soaring costs of basic necessities such as energy and food have left them "on a financial cliff-edge" and the worrying winter months ahead will only push them over the edge.
In the Nottingham suburb where the advice centre is based, this is the reality for many residents. According to Nottingham City Council the average life expectancy for those living in the area, at 74 years, is "significantly lower" than the national average of 79.
And as of 2018 roughly 23.7% (or 4,961) of St Ann's population lived in already income-deprived households, with 38% of the elderly and child population were living in poverty.
Ms Webster, who also manages The Chase Neighbourhood Centre, told Nottinghamshire Live 2022 was "a year that it was hoped would bring renewed optimism as the world finally emerged from the grip of a pandemic."
Instead, she says, "it will be the year that brought the biggest drop in living standards since records began."
Perhaps the most significant concern for many are their energy bills, which are now forecast to hit up to £4,600 per year from January 2023 and £5,000 by April. Just a week ago this same forecast, from Cornwall Insight, suggested a price cap of £3,615.
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Then-chancellor of Boris Johnson's Conservative Government, Rishi Sunak, had announced a £15bn package of support, including a £400 discount on bills this winter, but many are now calling on the "zombie government" to step up with urgent support before it is too late. Much of the population, however, watches on as the Government continues its infighting over who should be the next leader following Mr Johnson's resignation.
In St Ann's fears are only becoming graver.
Moira Beech, 88, worked at Raleigh for 24 years of her life. Despite being "heavy work" she "loved" it, she says, getting to know many friends during her time at the factory which had been established in 1887 by Sir Frank Bowden on Raleigh Street. By 1913 the company was the biggest producer of bikes in the world.
Now retired, Mrs Beech, who lost her husband in 2016, says she is just about "coping". She said: "My husband passed away in 2016 and it is just my sister left now. She lives in Sussex.
"It is terrible, really. We just have to put up with it. That money they gave people was a one off. There is nothing for next year.
"There should be more support. It is going to be awful, really. I feel especially for people with children."
Wendy Duro, 42, a carer who lives in Bulwell, was visiting the St Ann's Advice Centre because the additional income she was earning through work was now being deducted off her benefits. The single mum-of-two says she must visit St Ann's four times a day to care for a woman in need, and the cost of petrol is stripping her of the last few pennies.
On top of soaring energy bills, fuel for the transport of essential workers has stuck at record highs. Motoring group the RAC just revealed supermarkets have not been passing on wholesale fuel price reductions, which sit around £1.20, to their customers.
Prices at the pump for unleaded still sit around the £1.70 mark, while diesel is roughly £1.80.
"I'm not going to be able to pay my bills," Ms Duro says. "You used to be able to get a bag of pasta for 11p, now it's 80p. I just feel worried for my children as they get older and the rich get richer while the poor get poorer.
"Luckily I'm not one to want lots of money. I've got my home and food.
"It is really hard to get people to do my job now. People who work on minimum wage, if they work more hours they get their benefits deducted.
"They pay in the one hand and take it out of the other."
Gionn Morpheagh, 74, is a widowed pensioner living alone in Nottingham. He says he is unable to visit his family in Edinburgh and Ireland because he simply cannot afford to do so.
“I’m scared to spend money, because I’m afraid of the prices rising so much that I’d be thrown into poverty," he added. "I’m really unsure of what’s in store for me."
As of yet the Government has not announced any additional support measures. An energy summit involving Mr Johnson and the bosses of the big energy corporations concluded with little to no news.
The countless tales of struggle and strife come even as energy giants report record profits. BP saw underlying profits hit £6.9bn between April and June, around triple the amount it made in the same period last year.
Similarly British Gas owner Centrica said its operating profit for the six months ending June rose to £1.34bn, up from £262m a year ago. Shell hauled in second quarter profits of £9bn.
Ms Webster says residents of Nottingham have recently been coming in for advice over standing charges of £6.50 on their pre-payment energy meters, despite not using any at all. "The cost-of-living crisis is not a ‘budget-able’ issue," she adds.
"It is not a something our clients can manage their way out of because they simply don’t have enough income to exist on.
"We complete financial statements with clients to look at their expenditure against their incomes to work out their total disposable income after expenses. Most of our clients are showing a negative budget.
"The situation is only going to get worse with the expected energy rise and the onset of autumn and winter. Many of those on pre-payment metres...will be facing a huge deficit on their meter.
"We are stocking up on food for our food bank and trying to get funds to offer support with fuel costs. This crisis will hit many that have been managing to get by but these price increases will tip them over the edge into poverty. Our basic rate of benefits is at its lowest real rate for 30 years.
"The families we see have got no savings; they’ve got nothing left to fall back on. Life goes by precariously on a financial cliff edge; counting grocery budgets to the penny, huddling under blankets, rationing heating, avoiding social occasions. The essentials for a dignified life are already gone."
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