The cruel “destitution and devastation” that will come this winter to many is obvious to all. This Friday, when Ofgem announces what the energy price cap will be for October, we will feel the first bite of the cold.
People will be rightly worried about how they can make ends meet. Nicola Sturgeon’s welcome demand for a freeze on the fuel price increase is part of a chorus calling for the UK Government to do something, anything, to stave off what will be punitive price rises in October, January and again in April.
Gas and electricity charges of nearly £6000 a year on an average home cannot be borne by ordinary people or even those on middle class salaries. Organisations like Citizens Advice Scotland are seeing a cascading growth in people needing help with basic food and utility costs now.
When winter comes, CAS and foodbank charities will be simply overwhelmed unless something is done quickly. Even Liz Truss – who is almost certainly going to be the next prime minister on the back of promised tax cuts for the wealthy – is aware of this.
She could give far more assurances now that help really is on the way. But rather than allay the deep fears of consumers before Friday’s announcement, Truss is holding fire on any government support until she is in office in the hope that a grateful nation will give her an early poll boost.
It is a deeply cynical ploy, of course, to play politics with what is a genuine national emergency. People cannot wait for the next prime minister to hand out baubles like a saint. They need real action and the promise of real help right now.
Take the test
The overwhelming lesson from listening to anyone’s experiences of cancer is to test and then test again. Sarah Feighan, whose story we tell today, was apparently given the incorrect result from her first smear test and went on to develop cervical cancer, which she has luckily beaten.
While Sarah is fighting the health board over her alleged misdiagnosis, she is urging everyone to turn up for their smear test when called. Sarah herself missed a second test in 2016, which could have changed everything.
The message from Sarah and many others is to make sure you get tested and make sure you get the right results.
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