Cost of living Sheffield: Struggling families living in one room and relying on food they can eat without cooking

Chris Hardy from the S6 Food Bank – which has gone from seeing 1,000 weekly visitors in summer to 1,200 in November – laid bare the impact the cost of living crisis is having in Sheffield on the day the worrying findings of a new survey were released. Of 3,000 adults questioned by the Money and Pensions Service, one in six had nothing at all in their bank account in case they were hit with a sudden bill, and one in four only had up to £100 set aside.

Participants also told the study they felt they might have to borrow money – either from family or using credit – to cover extra costs.

Mr Hardy from the S6 Food Bank said the emotional impact of debt and having no financial safety net cannot be overstated.

“From our point of view, everyone we see at the food bank has no savings. 100 per cent,” Chris told The Star. “And the biggest share of people using it are people in employment and are in negative income at the end of the month.

“The number of people we are seeing was already high in summer and we’re very concerned what that will rise to in winter. And we are starting to see more people living in just one room or asking for food they can eat without cooking because they can’t afford gas or electricity.”

It comes as debt advisors are expecting a sharp increase in enquiries over the winter as people struggle to fund higher food and energy bills, with little to fall back on.

Chris said: “The mental health issue is skyrocketing. The effect of people week-in-week-out being unable to feed their children or keep the electricity on, or know where the next meal is coming from.”

Help for people in Sheffield who are struggling with debt or unable to pay bills is available on the City Council’s website.

Grants available include hardship support, local assistance schemes, grants for energy bills, and council tax support.