As the residual impacts of Covid continue to be felt and fuel prices are disrupted by the war in Ukraine, the cost-of-living crisis is being felt across Havering.
Shop inflation has hit its highest rate in more than a decade, and people are feeling the pressure as countries scramble to reduce their dependency on foreign - particularly Russian - oil and energy sources.
To add to the pinch, the beginning of April also means the removal of the cap on energy prices and the 1.25 percentage point hike to national insurance (NI) payments also due to kick in on April 6.
Oliver Brighton, 27, told this newspaper he is concerned about the crisis: “It’s already expensive as it is, and there are clearly plenty of poor people around who can’t afford that."
A woman in Romford town centre, who wished to remain anonymous, said “everything is going up” and called on the government to do more.
“They’re not helping people at all I don’t think," she said. “And this £200 you’re getting that you’ve got to pay back? I don’t want that.”
A government spokesperson said it is putting "billions of pounds back into the pockets of hard-working families across the UK”, pointing to actions including a 5p cut to fuel duty for the next 12 months, and providing more than £9 billion to help with energy bills.
Andrew Rosindell, the Conservative MP for Romford, said the "people of Romford are feeling the squeeze with soaring energy bills”.
He believes that to alleviate the issues, the country needs to move away from net-zero carbon targets and instead amp up domestic production of energy via sources such as North Sea oil fields and shale gas production.
“A mixture of nuclear power, gas, coal and renewables is the way forward, rather than laying all of our eggs in one basket," he said.
Jon Cruddas, the Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham, said he is “desperately concerned” for families in his constituency, describing the government’s NI increase as “a direct attack on working people”.
He believes the government could have acted by imposing a windfall tax on the oil and gas industry, or dropping the NI increase.
“Instead, in the chancellor's statement last week, he failed the nation.”
The cost-of-living impact on homelessness
The cost-of-living crisis has led to concerns that the result could be more people driven into homelessness.
Matt Downie, chief executive of the national homeless charity Crisis, said the organisation was “deeply" worried over the prospect of more people losing their homes.
“With energy prices soaring and inflation running rampant alongside falling wages and inadequate welfare support, we know that people up and down the country are frightened about how they are going to keep a roof over their head in the months to come," he said.
He said he believes the government needs to invest more in housing benefit to cover rents, saying it’s "vital this action is taken before it’s too late”.
The government says it is supporting those most in need via a range of schemes, such as an extra £500 million for the Household Support Fund.
Aid can also be found locally, Havering Council says.
The local authority highlights its own initiatives, including continuing to provide £1m in free school meals during holidays until the end of the year, and putting a further £250,000 into its Havering Helps Scheme, which is to aid struggling residents buy food and replace white goods.
Josh Gleaves
Local musician Josh Gleaves, 20, said he has not experienced too many issues regarding price increases.
One thing he has noticed, however, is fuel.
“Fuel has gone up, which is terrible," he said. “And because I’ve got an old vehicle I can’t put regular petrol in it, I’ve got to put in premium fuel, so it’s obviously a lot more money.”
Josh says he has not suffered too much though.
“I don’t notice it too much with food, mainly fuel and my parents saying it," he said.
Norma Kavanagh
When asked what specifically has been going up, 84-year-old Norma Kavanagh responded without hesitation: “Everything."
Food shopping in particular, she says, has been noticeable in how much costs have been on the rise.
“Every day you come in here, stuff’s gone up. Whereas it only used to go up in the bad years," she said, gesturing to the shops in Romford town centre.
While she is not wholly critical of the government’s response, she says she does believe it could “do a little more”, in particular regarding aid for pensioners relying on a limited income.
Steve Lashmar
Retired firefighter Steve Lashmar says while the cost-of-living crisis is clearly an issue, he has been lucky in being able to save for ongoing price hikes.
The 69-year-old said: “I’m lucky I’ve been able to budget and put some money aside so I’m not too worried.”
Steve says he is also fortunate that he does not have a car, and so he has not been hit by the worst of the fuel prices.
He adds that he believes the government is doing “all they can do” at the moment, with the reality being that the national debts accrued during the Covid pandemic have to be paid off.
“Some way or another, that has got to be clawed back," he said.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here