The Office for National Statistics has responded to the excellent Jack Monroe's charge that the official cost of living index does not reflect the spending of the least well-off. On Monday, they published the results of a survey which does indeed show price rises over the last twelve months for a basket of 30 everyday items. While potatoes and cheese have become slightly cheaper, less perishable supermarket own-label standbys like pasta and rice have risen. In all only 6 of the items in the basket have seen a fall.
There is a belief in comfortably-off circles that the poor have only themselves to blame for getting into debt. One recalls the suggestion by Lee Anderson MP that there would be no need for food-banks if everybody knew how to cook properly. Well, this pensioner has had to cook for himself for at least the last couple of decades. Katharine Whitehorn's "Cooking in a Bed-Sitter" and Bee Nilsson's Penguin cookery book have been my friends for many years. But "getting by" has been replaced by "struggling" these last few months. Yes, more young people should be taught cookery, but clearly there must be many people badly off in spite of basic cookery skills.
Moreover, Jack Monroe has been lucky - or canny - enough to be within striking distance of an Asda supermarket. So, although Asda had raised the cost of basic items, they would not have been as expensive as those in convenience stores or corner shops. Many pensioners and even young families without their own transport have access only to the latter, and not to supermarket items. (This is no criticism of convenience store owners, by the way. They have proportionately higher overheads than the supermarkets, without the benefit of volume of sales.) The ONS survey concentrated on supermarket goods. It will undoubtedly be more costly to arrange, but there ought to be a supplementary survey visiting only corner shops.
No comments:
Post a Comment