After the pandemic, the phrase "cost of living" started appearing in headlines, in policy documents and was used as a blanket term for people experiencing challenges with paying for the basics. People's finances had been hit by lockdown and they were facing significant increases in inflation, particularly driven by the spike in energy costs.

The following couple of years then saw the phrase fall out of use with many commentators alluding to the crisis being over. Inflation came down a bit, and government assistance had eased the energy crisis and for some pundits, it seemed that we’d passed the worst.

But the reality is very different. Across our network of CABs, we always knew this was a false narrative. We see every day the reality of how many people are struggling just to put food on the table and keep the lights on. And the last few weeks have shaken that complacency and shone a light on how bad the cost-of-living crisis remains for hundreds of........

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