Energy price rises: What do they mean to people in Dunstable?

For the 35,000 people living in the Bedfordshire market town of Dunstable, the surge in energy costs comes amid a general rise in the cost of living

As millions face the prospect of an unprecedented £700-a-year rise in energy costs, how will people and businesses in the Bedfordshire town of Dunstable cope with the 54% rise in the energy price cap?

The price cap change, which has come into effect this Friday, means a household using a typical amount of gas and electricity will now pay £1,971 per year.

For the 35,000 people of Dunstable, as well as across the UK as a whole, the surge in energy costs comes amid a general rise in the cost of living.

People in the town, parts of which are among the most deprived areas in the east of England, say they are dreading what sometimes seems a weekly rise in prices.

'We are dreading it now'

Lisa Roberts says lighting and refrigeration are essential to her business

Lisa Roberts runs a coffee shop and catering business in Ashton Square where lighting, refrigeration and keeping customers warm are essential.

"It is quite difficult at the moment," she says. "Every week the price of something has gone up.

"We've got the Coffee Pod so, as you can imagine, we've got to have the machines on, the lights on and the heating on to make sure everybody is comfortable.

"It is going to be very difficult because we do use a lot of electricity.

"We are dreading it now. We've been through lockdown and all of these things and food prices are going up.

"It is difficult to quote for weddings at the moment because you do not know how much everything is going to go up in a year's time."

Ms Roberts says that at home she is trying to have the heating on in the evenings only.

"We're trying to make sure we don't use too much and to keep an eye on it."

'I am mending my son's shoes rather than buying a new pair'

"I'm worried about the price of living in general going up," says mother-of-two Bianca Nagle

"I'm worried about the price of living in general going up in terms of how you're going to cope and live," says mother-of-two Bianca Nagle, who lives and works in the town.

Despite the fact both she and her husband work, the family is doing whatever it can to "be sensible" with their money.

She says she recently bought a washing line to save on electricity costs.

"We are being hit now but it is going to be worse in the winter months," she says.

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Mrs Nagle says she now visits different shops to ensure she gets the best deals rather than just going to one store.

"Today I am mending my son's shoes rather than buying a new pair because we only have one term left and the cost of shoes is about £50," she says.

"We are doing our best to be sensible and we are curbing our spending as best as we can really."

'I will start being more savvy with the shopping'

Andrea Lawlor says the rising cost of living has started to make her think more about other people who are really struggling

"I'm not sure how it is going to affect me because I am not sure yet how much I am going to have to pay," says Andrea Lawlor.

"I think I may get a big shock.

"I did notice yesterday my husband was telling our daughter to stop leaving lights on because the prices are shooting up.

"We will start to be more careful because I can be quite flippant with that sort of thing, thinking 'oh well, it gets paid' and so on.

"I will start being more savvy with the shopping and being less wasteful."

She says while she and her husband both work, and enjoy a good standard of living, the rising cost of living has made her more mindful about those who really struggling.

'We'll cut down on other things'

Greengrocer Kevin Eastgate lives and works in Dunstable and has a stall on the market three days each week

Greengrocer Kevin Eastgate lives and works in Dunstable, where he has a market stall three days each week.

While he says he and his fellow traders are doing their best to keep their prices stable, he and his wife are facing the rising energy costs along with everybody else.

"You wonder how you can turn it off," he says. "[My partner] is always telling me to turn the lights off, do this, do that, because the prices are going up.

"I've got a few health issues so I can't turn the heating off when it is cold.

"We'll cut down on other things but we've got to have the hearting on.

"We are trying to put another £50 a week towards it [his family's energy bills] on direct debit. It should cover it [the rise]."

Mr Eastgate says he and his fellow market traders are doing their best to keep prices as low as possible for customers

He says the rise in prices are just starting to affect his business. Diesel, he says, is costing him an extra £30 a week. The cost of paper bags has risen from £15 to £20 for each pack.

"The bill is getting bigger and bigger," he says.

He says he is continuing to charge £1 for a box of strawberries which is the same price, he says, as he has been charging for the past decade.

Asked whether he expected to be raising the prices of fruit and vegetables, he says: "We'll have to see how it goes.

"We still have reasonable prices. Our stuff is still cheaper than the supermarkets."

'It is horrendous'

Chris Bourne says the new energy price rises were "crazy".

Chris Bourne says the new energy price rises are "crazy".

"That alone is bad enough," he says. "But when you add it to everything else that is going up, it is horrendous and it will [have an] impact on poorer families to a far greater degree.

"I think everyone will feel the impact of this."

In his household, the thermostat has been lowered and clothes are being air-dried rather than put through the tumble-dryer.

"There's not much you can do except little things like that," says Mr Bourne. "Hopefully those small things will add up, but I don't suppose it will make a great deal of difference.

"I think we'll be putting off any overseas holidays for, well, I don't know long. We'll just have to wait and see."

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