A shocking new survey has found that one in five parents have admitted to having to “skip meals” due to soaring food prices.
As the rising cost of living crisis unfortunately continues to make its impact felt nationwide, and with the effects of food poverty sadly still impacting thousands in all four corners of the UK, new research by Which? has revealed that the public’s trust in the supermarket and grocery sector has plunged to its “lowest point in more than a decade”.
Apparently, the last time Brits had this little faith in the industry was at the height of the famous horsemeat scandal.
According to the rating on the consumer group’s insight tracker, shoppers have now given the grocery sector a ‘confidence score’ of just +30 – which is on a scale of -100 to +100 – which makes it the lowest since the record-holding +24 in February 2013.
Which? also surveyed 2,000 people for its latest research.
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The consumer group said it believes the British public’s trust in supermarkets is plummeting due to food prices remaining “stubbornly high” – with 85% of people surveyed reporting they are worried about food bills and the cost of an average shop.
One in five parents admit to ‘skipping meals’ due to soaring food prices / Credit: Richard Bell (via Unsplash)
As well as shoppers’ falling trust in the sector and rising concern over food prices, the new Which? survey also sadly shone a light on how Brits shopping and eating habits have been impacted and forced to change as the cost of living crisis took hold – with as many as four in five (78%) surveyed admitting they have “adjusted” their habits in response to high food prices.
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The most common of these adjustments options has been to buy cheaper products (54%) or opt for budget range items (48%), while a quarter (24%) of people also told Which? they have had to “go without some foods”.
The most worrying of the survey finds is that one in seven shoppers (15%) said they were skipping meals to “cope with high food costs” – unemployed people (26%) and renters (24%) most likely to do so, as well as one in five parents and people on low incomes (below £21,000) also having to resort to going without food.
We’re calling on supermarkets to do more to help, especially in areas where people depend on supermarket convenience stores.
8% of the 2,000 surveyed also admitted to prioritising meals for other family members over themselves, and 4% had to resort to using foodbanks.
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The majority of people surveyed (54%) said “the most important factor” is that their average food shop is “as cheap as possible”.
Which? is now urging the major supermarket chains to start stocking more “essential budget range items” in their smaller convenience stores nationwide, so there’s more choice for shoppers to “feel the full benefit”.
“Supermarkets have the power to ease the huge pressure faced by shoppers, especially families and those on low incomes, by putting budget range items in hundreds of more expensive convenience stores,” explained Katie Alpin – who is the Head of Strategic insight at Which?.
“Our research has found that these stores rarely, if ever, stock the cheapest products.”
Featured Image – Aldi
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New £60m fund launched to fill potholes across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A new £60 million Pothole Fund has been created to repair more of the city region’s roads and pavements.
The fund – which has been set up by new Mayor Bev Craig, and is to be spent across every borough in Greater Manchester – is set to be a ‘major boost’ to efforts to tackle the pothole problem, as it will be enough to repair and maintain over a million square metres, or around 125 kilometres, of road across the wider region.
Around 2.5 billion trips are made on Greater Manchester‘s roads every year – not only by motorists, but also by buses, trams, cyclists, and pedestrians. So the fund will be used to help keep the highways network ‘safe and reliable’.
The fund will enable transport teams to repair hotspots where surfaces are in poor condition, as well as resurface roads and pavements to prevent them from deteriorating in the first place.
A new £60m fund has been launched to fill potholes across Greater Manchester / Credit: TfGM
Cold and wet winters, more traffic, and heavier vehicles using the roads are just some of the contributing factors to the pothole problem, which is why the fund is being introduced before autumn and winter properly arrives.
The amount each of the 10 boroughs will receive is based on an agreed funding formula, with the allocations being:
Bolton: £6,552,000
Bury: £4,374,000
Manchester: £8,155,000
Oldham: £5,258,000
Rochdale: £5,243,000
Salford: £5,388,000
Stockport: £6,820,000
Tameside: £4,980,000
Trafford: £4,992,000
Wigan: £8,241,000
The extra cash comes from the region’s transport budget, with leaders agreeing to reallocate funding towards highways maintenance, and it fulfils a commitment Bev made in her Mayoral Manifesto to repair more roads and make sure pavements are safe.
“Keeping our roads and pavements safe and well maintained is essential for a growing city region like Greater Manchester,” explained Mayor Bev Craig.
“That’s why I promised to create this new Pothole Fund that will benefit drivers and everyone who uses our roads to get around. Properly maintaining our roads will save motorists money on costly repairs, and by preventing potholes forming in the first place, councils won’t have to spend as much money on emergency road repairs.
“This issue came up repeatedly on the doorstep during my election campaign so I’m pleased that I can do something about it so quickly, building on the significant work already planned by councils across Greater Manchester.”
Featured Image – TfGM
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Six GMP officers dismissed following racial discrimination allegations
Emily Sergeant
A number of police officers have been dismissed following an internal investigation, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has confirmed.
Following the internal investigation into alleged racial discrimination against an officer on the Bury district – which was launched by GMP‘s Professional Standards Directorate in July 2024 – six officers and two former officers were found to have committed gross misconduct, and a ninth officer was found to have committed misconduct.
The investigation came after a report was made that an officer had been subjected to ‘racist behaviour’ by colleagues in December 2023.
The panel heard how PC Y – who has African heritage and has been granted anonymity – made a complaint after her accent was mimicked by a group of officers. She was also compared to a suspect with similar skin colour, and one of the dismissed PCs made a derogatory comment about her hair.
PC Y was supported and kept updated throughout the investigation, GMP assured, as well as providing evidence at the hearing.
The misconduct hearing lasted just over two weeks, with the panel concluding that the officers breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour relating to Equality and Diversity, Authority, Respect, and Courtesy.
The six officers who have been dismissed are PC Demi Green, PC Heena Rani, PC Lucy Granby, PC Matthew Barlow, PC Matthew Hill, and PC Mohammed Abid, while the former officers who were found to have committed gross misconduct are PC Jake Holt, and former Officer A – who has been granted anonymity.
The panel also found that Sergeant Adrian Bick’s actions amounted to misconduct, as there was no breach of the standard of equality and diversity.
As a result, the six serving officers have been sacked without notice, while the two former officers would have been dismissed had they not already left the force, and Sergeant Bick was issued a written warning.
“No officer or member of staff should have to come to work and experience discriminatory behaviour from the people they serve alongside,” declared Deputy Chief Constable, Terry Woods.
“Everyone has the right to feel respected, valued and part of the same team with a shared commitment to serving our communities and keeping people safe.”
Emily Sergeant -
29th August 2023 
