Son caring for parents fears choosing food or heating as cost of living soars

Video report by ITV Wales Correspondent Rob Osborne

A man who quit his job to care for his sick parents says the UK government must act now to help people with the rising cost of living or "it will be too late."

Mike O’Brien, from Barry, is a full-time unpaid carer for his older parents who both have multiple health conditions.

He took the decision to give up work to care for them as his family struggles to pay bills and keep up with rising living costs.

Due to Mike’s parents’ health conditions, the house has to be kept to a certain temperature, while medical equipment, such as a lifting cushion for his mum, is also a necessity that uses more electricity.

Specific dietary requirements also mean rising food costs is an issue for the family, with both parents’ only income a state pension and Personal Independence Payments (PIP).

Mike told ITV News: “You worry about whether you can afford to use the gas to cook something or whether you can afford to run the oven. Come the winter we’ll probably use the slow cooker and the microwave more than we have been.

"It’s a worry, we’re not in debt at the moment, but there’s always that worry that come October when prices go up we could find ourselves not able to pay the bills.

"The cost of food is going up all the time. This time last year we were paying around £80 to £90 a week for food, now we are paying around £130 for the same shop.

"We are cutting back on luxuries now, but what’s next? Come the winter it will be do we put the heating on or do we eat?”

Energy bosses appeared before ministers on Thursday amid predictions that the average household bill might go up to £5,000 from next April after a winter of soaring heating prices.

The price cap on bills prevents energy firms from taking excess profits from the gas and electricity they sell to households.

They are currently allowed to make earnings before interest and tax of £35 per household. However, they are allowed to pass on the rises in wholesale energy prices to customers, which is why prices are rising.

During Thursday’s roundtable talks, Boris Johnson appealed to electricity companies to act “in the national interest” to help ease the pressure on vulnerable consumers in the face of soaring energy prices.

However, there are no new announcements of immediate help for hard-pressed families.

Mike believes that waiting until either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak become the next prime minister could plunge many more people into peril.

"They (the UK government) are not doing enough,” he said. “Come October, any money people are going to get form the handouts and grants is going to be wiped out.

"The £150 that is going to go to disabled households is not going to come anywhere near what people are going to need for medical equipment.

"Action needs to be taken now. In a month’s time or come October when Ofgem has announced what it [the energy price cap] is going to be, it’ll be too late for many people.

"They need to freeze the price cap at what it is now or even reduce it. These energy companies are making billions of pounds in profit, why can’t they take the hit rather than the consumer take the hit?"