I had to ditch my car because fuel is too expensive – hard-working Brits need help in the cost of living crisis NOW

STRUGGLING families are bracing themselves for a financial nightmare this spring thanks to soaring food and energy bills and the planned National Insurance rise.

According to British Retail Consortium figures, shop price inflation nearly doubled to 1.5 per cent last month, the highest for almost a decade.

Grocery costs are rising even faster, with consultants Kantar predicting the annual grocery bill will rise by £180.

It is no wonder many families feel worried about their futures. And in our poorest towns and cities — where thousands are already stretched — the impending crunch could be devastating.

The Government’s proposed “Levelling Up” policies – unveiled yesterday by Michael Gove — are supposed to help places such as Bradford, where, according to a report last year, a third of children live in poverty.

We speak to people from this Yorkshire city about how they see their future . . .

New dad Baber Zahoor is enjoying rare family time. He and partner Afia Khatoon, push a pram past Bradford’s City Park. Not only has Baber got his hands full with his new baby, but he’s recently taken a SECOND job to guard against the rising cost of living.

The 34-year-old civil servant, told us: “I was so worried about everything going up I got a another job at a supermarket.”

Afia, 32, also a civil servant and mum-of-four, said: “We’re already spending more on our petrol and an extra £10 a week on our supermarket shopping. It all adds up. It’s worrying.”

It is a feeling that pervades this West Yorkshire city of more than half a million people of which, according to figures released a fortnight ago, 25,000 are unemployed.

Wayne Nagyvardi, a painter and decorator, is worried too. He has a new baby to support with partner Dominika Rymska, 38. Wayne, 39, said: “It’s a worry, especially the heating bills and the price of petrol, which have shot up, and food prices too.

“We can’t afford to pay out more for everything. You have to plan ahead to see if you can afford things.”

In the city centre, between a row of boarded up shops and a building site which will bring a new market development, care assistant Lee Sutcliffe tells us how he has heard more than one story from his friends about how they can no longer afford to heat their homes.

He said: “I’ve seen my bills rising. A lot of my friends can’t afford their gas and electricity bills.”

Through the pandemic, the nation has been much more aware of the vital job carried out by care workers, who earn an average of £16,000 to £18,000 a year.

Yet Lee now has to wait for a bus to get home after a 12-hour shift as he can’t find the money to run a car any more.

He said: “My car insurance has gone up and I can’t afford it, so now I have to get the bus. The service isn’t reliable.”

‘BILLS RISING’

Indeed, transport is one of the main concerns in Bradford. In his long-awaited white paper, Secretary of State for Levelling Up Michael Gove promised “better local transport, bringing the rest of the country closer to the standards of London’s transport system.”

It’s something forklift driver Hossein Tahanon, 47, has found frustrating since moving to Bradford from Newcastle — and the unreliable service is hitting him in the wallet.

The dad-of-three commutes in from Allerton, a village three miles outside the city centre.

He said: “In Newcastle, it’s easy to get around because you have the Metro light rail service. I use the bus here and it’s late all the time. They say there aren’t enough drivers. They don’t get paid enough so they leave to work elsewhere for more money.

“The bus from Allerton to Bradford is never on time so I end up forking out for taxis, which gets expensive.”

Councillor Rebecca Poulsen, leader of the Conservative Group at Bradford Council, agreed that transport is one of the biggest problems in the area.

She said: “If you are in rural areas and the buses end at seven o’clock your options are limited if you have to rely on public transport.”

The Levelling Up white paper promises 12 missions, which will be enshrined in law, to help forgotten communities.

Pledges include improving education in deprived areas, boosting home ownership, tackling health inequalities and rejuvenating town centres.

Bradford residents are hoping it will be one of the 20 urban areas that will be transformed through an ambitious regeneration project.

The city has much to offer including the National Science and Media Museum, the Alhambra Theatre, which opened its doors in 1914, and a new music and events venue, Bradford Live, set to open later this year.

‘WORST RAILWAY SERVICE IN BRITAIN’

But despite this, people talk of it being Leeds’ “lesser cousin.”

Investment has poured into its West Yorkshire neighbour, where banking and technology industries have been joined by Channel 4’s new northern HQ.

Meanwhile plans for the Northern Powerhouse Rail high speed line running from Hull to Liverpool, via Bradford, were scrapped in December.

Naz Shah, Labour MP for Bradford West, said: “We are the biggest city with no through railway. We have the worst railway service in Britain. We haven’t even got an outer ring road. You look at cities like Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, they have outer and inner ring roads.”

Bradford might have its Broadway shopping centre, which opened in 2015, but its loss of Debenhams has been a major blow. In the neighbouring streets, too many shops stand empty.

Grandmother-of-three Christine Smith, 77, a retired carpet mender said: “We need shops here. It’s been like this for ten years or so. Places open up but the rates are too high and they close again. Broadway hasn’t brought people back into Bradford. Debenhams was a pull but there’s nothing for people like us in there.”

At Blooms on Market Street, owner Ann Fawcett is arranging a stunning bouquet for a customer. Ann opened her shop in 2020 and would welcome a city centre regeneration programme and hopes more independent shops open as a result.

‘WE NEED SHOPS HERE’

She said: “We need to get more people coming to the city, especially after Covid. We need it to be more local. It would be nice to have more shops like mine.

“Bradford needs to be regenerated. It always loses out to Leeds, but it was a fantastic place at one time, especially with the wool industry here.”

It’s exactly businesses like hers that will make Bradford thrive again. But they need to be able to survive.

Ann said: “Import taxes are high. The price of flowers has rocketed. The amount we’re spending on fuel has gone through the roof.”

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, Ann is happy that the city of Bradford may now finally get some love from the Government. But that love needs to spread to the people living and working there too.