Beyond Food and Fuel: Working Families', Hidden Struggles

Vic and Mark welcome Hayley, Assistant Chief Executive at Citizens Advice Manchester, for a candid conversation about the changing face of financial hardship in Britain today.The discussion reveals a troubling shift in who's seeking support – it's no longer just people out of work, but increasingly those in employment who find themselves unable to make ends meet. "People who are in quotation, quotation marks, doing everything right," as Hayley puts it, yet still facing impossible financial choices. Many have depleted any savings buffer they once had and are now cutting back "to the bone" just to survive.Most alarmingly, Citizens Advice is seeing a significant increase in people with "negative budgets" – where income simply doesn't cover essential expenses like rent, energy bills and council tax, even after maximising all available benefits. This stark reality creates challenges not only for those experiencing hardship but also for the advisors trying to help them.The conversation introduces a powerful concept that encapsulates a fundamental problem in our support systems: "Hidden help doesn't help." Social tariffs and support schemes exist but remain largely unknown to those who most need them. Both organisations are tackling this by taking their services directly to communities – Citizens Advice with their advice van visiting locations like B&M car parks, and The Bread and Butter Thing through community hubs providing affordable food alongside access to additional support.Vic and Mark reflect on when life became so unaffordable for working families. Was it austerity measures following the 2008 crash? The COVID pandemic? Or a gradual erosion over decades? Whatever the cause, the effects are clear – with many spending 30-39% of their income on food alone, leaving precious little for other essentials.Want to learn how The Bread and Butter Thing and Citizens Advice are bringing practical support to communities? Subscribe to hear more conversations exploring how collaborative approaches can help people navigate an increasingly unaffordable world.