Woughton Community Council declares cost of living emergency

A community café and fridge operates out of Woughton Community Council's base to help residents

A community council has declared a cost of living emergency in the area it covers.

Woughton Community Council said the area in Milton Keynes "faces the largest challenges".

It said the community had "higher than average levels of disability, older people, and people in receipt of benefits".

"Woughton will feel the pinch more quickly and more sharply than many other areas," the council said.

Fiona Simmonds helps to run the community fridge

A community fridge operates two days a week from the community council's base and allows people to donate food that would be otherwise wasted, for others to take.

Fiona Simmonds helps to run the community fridge but said she was also feeling the effects of the cost of living crisis.

She said the amount of money she spends on electricity would previously last her two weeks, but now it only lasts six days.

"It's got to the stage where I'm quite scared because you don't really know what you're going to be able to put on," she said.

"You don't know if you use the washing machine today that means I can't put the telly on or if I have the telly on, I can't put the light on and things like that.

"It has got to the stage where you do sit in the dark because you are scared of putting electric in and it just going."

Demi said everybody at the community fridge was friendly

Demi uses the community fridge on a regular basis and said the service was "brilliant".

"I use it because my bills are so high because I'm quite ill and sometimes have to use the heat a lot," she said.

"My bill for this quarter was £388, so the food comes in handy and they're so nice here."

D'anne said everybody was welcome at the community fridge and café

D'anne, who helps at the community fridge and café, said many people in the area were struggling.

"Even people that are nurses are coming," she said.

"People that work full-time. It's not just people on low income, it's everybody and everybody's welcome".

Councillor Sue Smith said the council wanted to try and help where it could

Community councillor Sue Smith said the council was trying to help people in the area.

"We're running an advice service, doing free draft excluders and we're doing evenings where they can come along and keep warm in our place rather than theirs," she said.

"We think that residents will struggle up to Christmas, so they can provide a normal Christmas as such, and then after Christmas - I think it's all going to come crashing down."