Beat the Squeeze: Join GB News campaign to tackle cost-of-living crisis

The UK is facing the most serious cost-of-living crisis since the 1970s.

It feels as if the cost of pretty much everything is going up faster than our ability to pay for it – from food and utility bills to filling up on petrol or diesel.

The latest Government figures suggest prices in January were on average 5.5 percent higher than during the same month in 2021. That means inflation is now at a 30-year high.

But many would argue that the cost-of-living rise we're all experiencing is, in fact, much sharper than the official 5.5 percent inflation number.

The average price of a litre of petrol, for instance, was 145.1p in January, compared to 116.6p the same month in 2021 – so that's around 25 percent more expensive. Electricity bills are up almost 20 percent over the last year, with household gas prices around 30 percent higher – and that's before another steep increase in utility bills due in April.

As prices keep rising, average wages are going up much more slowly – with many enduring no rise in wages whatsoever. That means millions of households are now suffering a drop in living standards – with the Bank of England warning that will continue throughout 2022, as inflation keeps going up.

Here atGB News, we’re determined to tackle this cost-of-living crisis alongside our viewers and listeners.

Our daily “On The Money” programme, every weekday lunchtime, provides jargon-free explanations of what is happening to prices and why. A regular panel of guests - expert but friendly - provide tips and ideas to help you beat the squeeze.

“On the Money” has campaigned for the Government to “Scrap the Vat” on household fuel bills – and that campaign will continue. Across all ourGB Newsprogrammes, we’ll keep up the pressure for action to help hard-pressed households struggling to make ends meet.

“If it matters to you, it matters to us” – that’s what we said when we launched our channel last summer. And few things matter more than protecting our living standards – which is why here atGB Newswe’re committed to helping you “beat the squeeze”.

Liam Halligan, Presenter, On The Money, Monday-Friday 1-2pm