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panorama 2026 03 23 living without lifes little luxuries deadpool
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00:03At the end of the working week, we often look forward to treating ourselves.
00:09But is it becoming unaffordable?
00:12The picture is one of declining living standards.
00:15This sense that you're just working in order to survive.
00:19With the cost of living crisis still biting, there's not a lot left over for life's little luxuries.
00:26£9.80 for two juices.
00:28The cookies are £2.95 each.
00:32£2.90 a cookie.
00:34With less spare cash around, thousands of hospitality businesses are struggling to stay afloat.
00:41I'm paying myself less than minimum wage.
00:43I work about 60-70 hours a week.
00:45If I walked away, I'm still going to be in debt personally.
00:48I don't sleep very well.
00:50The minimum wage is up, but there's concern about government tax rises.
00:56It's a lot of extra money.
00:58I think as a consequence of that, we are going to see the number of closures on High Street soar.
01:04As costs continue to rise, we ask, can families and businesses survive the squeeze?
01:19The Osborne family live in the Bradbury area of Stockport.
01:23Let's go level two.
01:25Level two.
01:26Mum Bianca works part-time as an HR administrator.
01:30Oh my gosh, I was in a jumper.
01:33Dad, Paul, is a manager at Network Rail.
01:37Together, they earn close to the average household income, which is just over £55,000 a year.
01:45With daughters, Amelia, four and Sienna, ten, they're getting ready for an afternoon out.
01:52Even with two incomes, it's not something they do often.
01:56Bye, hi. Bye.
01:58It's a treat, so we do it, like, you know, for birthdays, Christmases.
02:03But, yeah, not every weekend, definitely not.
02:05Not even really every month, really, is it?
02:07It's a special occasion.
02:09We struggle finding the right reasons to go out because we can't justify the cost.
02:15Yeah, we've noticed the increase as well, haven't we?
02:17Everything's gone up.
02:19We tend to prioritise going to parks, museums, fairs, that type of stuff that we can do for free.
02:27You coming, darling?
02:29We're paying for the family to have an afternoon out.
02:33Which one do you want?
02:34And they're going to tell us how much it costs.
02:38Do you want a tuna one?
02:40First up, they had to Costa Coffee for some lunch.
02:42Costa is the biggest UK coffee chain and says it's priced similarly to its competitors.
02:51So, yeah, £51.89.
02:54So, that's £6.10 at the bar.
02:56The girls have got two tuna sandwiches, which are £5.70 each.
03:03Which, yeah, for a child, like, it is quite a lot just for a sandwich, isn't it?
03:07It is, like, £9.80 for two juices.
03:10The cookies are £2.95 each.
03:14£2.90 a cookie?
03:15So, the coffee was £4.50 and £4.99 each.
03:21£5 coffees.
03:22Yeah.
03:23So, the cheese bites, which are these, so you get...
03:28Four cheese bites.
03:30Four cheese bites.
03:31They are £3.95.
03:34Yeah, £3.95, so it's gaining up and pound a bite.
03:37Yeah.
03:37That's a pound for one cheese bite.
03:42Don't get me wrong, it tastes lovely, but for the value against price,
03:48it looks like a hell of a lot of inflation.
03:54It doesn't look like Costa's making huge profits.
03:58Its most recent financial figures say it made an operating loss of £13.5 million after tax in 2024.
04:10But the Osborne family aren't alone in finding the cost of eating out high.
04:16A YouGov survey suggests that close to half of all diners don't think current restaurant prices feel fair,
04:22with a third saying they're charging too much for the quality offered.
04:29I'm the BBC's Your Voice correspondent, looking at the country's most talked-about issues,
04:34and for the last five years, I've been covering the cost-of-living crisis.
04:38And day in, day out, people keep telling me that they have less and less spare cash.
04:45Disposable income is the money we have left after taxes are deducted from our earnings and benefits.
04:52For someone on the average wage, it's barely changed since before the pandemic.
04:59We have seen this stagnation, or virtual stagnation, in wages for a lot of people.
05:05But, you know, you have to cover the essentials.
05:07You have to cover food, heating, keeping a roof over your head,
05:11making sure the kids have got the essential things that they need.
05:14Those things have really gone up in price in recent years.
05:17And so people are struggling.
05:18They're struggling to make bills that they wouldn't have previously struggled with.
05:25Since the pandemic, food's gone up 39 percent, fuel's gone up 35 percent,
05:31and rent and mortgage costs 41 percent.
05:39After lunch at Costa, the Osborne family head out for afternoon activities.
05:48Bianca and Amelia spend about an hour and a half at Sea Life,
05:54which costs £32 for an adult and child.
05:59Two photos cost an extra £15.
06:06Meanwhile, Paul and Sienna are having a Laser Quest adventure.
06:11The session, which lasts about half an hour, costs £21.50 for an adult and child.
06:19Laser Quest says it's great value for money,
06:22and that it's sited in high-cost locations,
06:25with significant rent, service charge, and business rates.
06:32Merlin, the owners of Sea Life,
06:34told us that despite the significant increase in costs,
06:37such as national insurance,
06:38they work hard to keep attractions as fairly priced as possible,
06:43and regularly review pricing.
06:47Costa Coffee declined to make a comment.
06:54It's been a busy afternoon.
06:57Overall, the activities and food cost about £120.
07:02Prices vary depending on times and dates.
07:06We've had a great time and made some great memories,
07:09but we'd certainly have to think twice before doing it
07:13more regular than special occasions, which is unfortunate.
07:17Yeah, we couldn't do it every week.
07:19Definitely not.
07:22Pound cheese bites.
07:24Oh, my God.
07:25One pound per cheese bite.
07:27Still can't get over that.
07:38Things have been tough in Britain for a while.
07:41For many, life is still harder than it should be.
07:45In his New Year message, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer
07:49pledged to improve people's standards of living.
07:53You long for a bit more money in your pockets,
07:56a meal out, a holiday,
07:59the chance to make a special family moment extra special.
08:02At the start of March, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves
08:06also said she had good news,
08:08that inflation was forecast to go down
08:10and the economy expected to grow a little faster next year.
08:14But this immediately looks set to be blown off course
08:18by the war on Iran.
08:20As a result, oil prices are up,
08:23inflation is now expected to stay at 3%,
08:26and interest rate cuts have been put on hold.
08:31Even before the attacks on Iran,
08:34many people were struggling.
08:38Overall, the picture is one of declining living standards
08:41across the board.
08:42What impact is that having for households?
08:46Well, one of the things that we've seen people
08:48really scaling back is on leisure and socialising.
08:52So, you know, what maybe would have once been
08:55going out for dinner becomes a takeaway at home.
08:58What maybe would have once been going out to the pub
09:00becomes having a few drinks at home.
09:03Not only is this a problem for individuals and for families,
09:07it's a problem for our economy
09:08if people aren't going out and spending.
09:14In Stockport, I want to find out how businesses are getting on.
09:20Household income here is slightly above the national average.
09:26But for many, the going is still tough.
09:42James and his sister-in-law, Eleanor,
09:45set up the Brew32 Cafe in Stockport in 2025.
09:52I've worked in hospitality all my life,
09:54worked for big companies, worked for small companies,
09:56worked for family-run businesses and stuff.
09:58But I thought it was time to do it for myself
10:01and hopefully, you know, build something for me
10:03and my family in the future.
10:06It's a family-run business,
10:08with help from friend Jamie, who works as their chef.
10:11But recently, business has been slow.
10:16I've spoken to a couple of other cafes and bars around here
10:19and it's really been noticed
10:21that people have got less money to come in with.
10:23They're using it more as a treat, something special,
10:27rather than just going out
10:28and having something to eat while they're out.
10:29It's changed the way people act.
10:33They haven't got their money to do what they normally would.
10:39Despite his best efforts,
10:41James says he's already had to reduce his staff
10:44from nine to four in the six months since they opened.
10:49And now chef Jamie is set to leave.
10:54Some days it's really quiet.
10:56I can clearly see that the business isn't going to be making money.
10:59I knew my wage was the biggest I'd spent,
11:01so as a friend to James as well,
11:04it's hard to be demanding.
11:06He pays me and gives me the full-time hours
11:08when, you know, the business is the way it is.
11:12It's heartbreaking.
11:13He's been my friend for many years.
11:14He left his other job to come work for me
11:16and then six months down the line
11:18he's going to have to go somewhere else.
11:22Last year, a survey suggested
11:24more than a third of people
11:25were eating out less than a year before.
11:29Chef Jamie has decided to change career altogether.
11:35I just applied to be a trainee bus driver,
11:37so that's where I'm going to next.
11:39Why is it that you're changing career?
11:41Did you think about getting another job as a chef?
11:44I did think about it,
11:45but the way the sort of hospitality industry is at the moment,
11:48what's the chances of me going somewhere else
11:50and then, you know, having to cut my hours or reduce it?
11:52I didn't really want to take that risk.
11:54I've got children and things like that to think of,
11:57so I had to look elsewhere, basically.
12:12Emily's the manager and owner
12:13of Tumble Jack's Play Centre in Stockport.
12:17I've run the business for about four and a half years now.
12:19We are primarily a younger play centre,
12:22but we also specialise in birthday parties as well.
12:26A popular place for parents to meet up
12:29with other mums and dads and enjoy a coffee
12:31while the kids play.
12:35But Emily's also finding
12:37that people have less free cash to spend.
12:42We've seen massive reductions in our party numbers,
12:44so people still want to do a birthday party for their child,
12:46but instead of inviting the whole class,
12:48they'll invite 15 children instead of the 30,
12:51and that is simply just because
12:52people don't necessarily seem to have the disposable income.
12:56She says there's another major problem
12:59which is putting her business in jeopardy,
13:02her growing staffing and business costs.
13:07Last year, the government increased the minimum wage
13:09for people aged 21 and over,
13:12known as the national living wage,
13:14to £12.21 an hour.
13:16And next month, it's rising again to £12.71.
13:22It's also increased employers' national insurance contributions
13:26from 13.8 to 15%,
13:29while also making employers pay contributions
13:33for those earning less than £9,100 a year
13:37who were previously exempt.
13:40How many staff do you have at the moment,
13:42and how has that changed, particularly over the last year or so?
13:45So at the moment, we have 13.
13:47Round about this time last year, we had about 18.
13:51Next month's increase
13:52means the cost of hiring a full-time worker
13:55on the national living wage
13:56will have risen by about £3,400 a year
14:01since 2024.
14:05I work about 60, 70 hours a week
14:08because I'm having to cover it.
14:10And I'm paying myself less than minimum wage.
14:14From April, business rates for many businesses
14:17are set to rise.
14:19At the same time,
14:20discounts for the retail, hospitality and leisure sector
14:24are being reduced.
14:26For Emily, it's a double whammy.
14:29Now we've got the business rates increase.
14:31We've got to find £7,500 a year
14:33out of nowhere.
14:35Extra.
14:36Extra.
14:36And the only way of then finding that extra
14:38is attempting to put the prices up.
14:40But then if you put the prices up,
14:42I'm not going to get more people coming in
14:43because people can't then afford to pay.
14:45Facing all of these increasing costs,
14:48how does it feel?
14:50I don't sleep very well, in all honesty.
14:53It's really hard.
14:54It is such a pressure
14:55because this is my living
14:58and yet I also have such a responsibility
15:00to pay my team.
15:02And there's huge pressure on her personally.
15:05She says she's borrowed £80,000
15:07to start the business.
15:10If I walked away,
15:11I'm still going to be in debt personally.
15:13It is a constant battle.
15:15Finding ways to try and reduce costs,
15:17but I'm kind of running out of ideas
15:19because costs are constantly going up.
15:21How much more can businesses take
15:23when we are just being hammered all the time?
15:28In total, the hospitality industry
15:31employs more than 2.5 million people
15:33across the UK.
15:34According to the Trade Body UK Hospitality,
15:37the sector contributes £54 billion in tax
15:41to the economy.
15:45By November, the UK hospitality industry
15:48had lost nearly 60,000 jobs in a year.
15:54The industry trade body says the figures are getting worse.
15:59I've come to York to meet its chair, Kate Nicholls.
16:04The hospitality sector has faced a perfect storm,
16:07soaring costs and high inflation,
16:10which has hit both our customers and our businesses.
16:13So put simply, the money coming through the front door
16:16isn't enough to cover the costs of doing business
16:18and the businesses are struggling to make a profit.
16:21The government says that everyone has to be properly rewarded
16:25for their hard work.
16:27Rises in the minimum wage are an important part
16:30of addressing the cost of living crisis
16:32for the lower paid.
16:34But with job losses across the hospitality industry,
16:38is it becoming too expensive for employers to keep staff on?
16:4553% of our costs are accounted for in terms of wages
16:50and associated costs of employing people.
16:53And that has really spiralled out of control
16:56over the last couple of years.
16:5860% of our businesses say they have cut staff hours
17:01or cut jobs.
17:03UK hospitality says next month's business rate increases
17:07could result in even more job losses.
17:12It's a lot of extra money.
17:14I think as a consequence of that,
17:15we are going to see the number of closures
17:17on High Street soar.
17:21In January, to mitigate the effects of the rises,
17:24the government announced a 15% additional business rate relief
17:29for pubs and live music venues,
17:31as well as a £10 million hospitality support fund.
17:38Right, Elsie, you need to come and get your coat on.
17:42Over in the Bramall area of Stockport,
17:45the George family is preparing for a night out.
17:50Dad Robbie is a college lecturer
17:52and mum Rachel is a merchandising manager.
17:56They earn above the national average,
17:59but, like the Osborns,
18:01find going out is becoming increasingly unaffordable.
18:06Let's go.
18:09In terms of going out, in general,
18:11to, let's say, entertainment venues
18:13or music, football and things,
18:16we're really limited on that at the minute.
18:18I think the last time that we went out for food,
18:20Rob and I just watched the kids eat
18:22and we just paid for the kids to eat
18:24so that we didn't spend as much money.
18:29First, they've come to family favourite, Pizza Express.
18:34So, these are the classic ones.
18:36Again, we're paying for their evening out
18:39and the George family will keep tabs on the cost.
18:43First up, dough balls.
18:47Seven dough balls, that's nearly a pound each.
18:51It's just brand, it's really nice, but it is...
18:53They're really good. They're very nice to be bad.
18:57Next, they're having pizzas
18:59with two side salads
19:01and two portions of polenta chips.
19:04That was £18.75.
19:07Quite small, isn't it?
19:09So, £5.95 for this salad.
19:13Literally just lettuce.
19:14Got it?
19:14Some of the cucumber.
19:15These are the polenta chips, £6.25.
19:18There is nine chips.
19:21It's a 70-p chip.
19:24They're really nice, to be fair,
19:26but that's a lot of money for a chip.
19:28The grown-ups are having wine and beer with their meal
19:31and everyone says yes to pudding.
19:35That is huge.
19:37Look at that.
19:39This is normally like £8.00.
19:41£5.00 and a half is pretty good, isn't it?
19:42Yeah.
19:43In total, with a 10% tip,
19:46the bill comes to £174.00.
19:49That is absolutely delicious.
19:55It is easy.
19:56It is easy.
19:58After dinner...
20:00That is terrible.
20:02...it's off to the bowling.
20:07For the four of them, it costs £38.50 for a game,
20:11which lasts about an hour.
20:17So, total all-in was £220.00, roughly.
20:22So, it's a real treat.
20:24We've had a three-course meal and a couple of drinks
20:26and a nice game of bowling.
20:28It's just astronomical how much it costs.
20:30Spending the amount that we've spent tonight,
20:32it's like one or two weekly shops for one night.
20:35It's hard to justify that, isn't it?
20:37Yeah.
20:38The bowling chain 10 Pin told us that it offers great value
20:42and has a variety of deals, promotional sessions and packages.
20:48Pizza Express told us it recognises household budgets
20:52are under pressure.
20:53It focuses on providing great value
20:56and runs a variety of offers and discounts throughout the year
20:59and free rewards through its loyalty scheme.
21:07I'm meeting Carl Williams of the Centre for Policy Studies.
21:11He says some companies are struggling to keep prices down.
21:16If people have got less disposable income,
21:18less spare cash to spend,
21:21businesses will see lower footfall.
21:23At the same time, their costs are still increasing
21:26and they still have to try to eke out some profit from that.
21:29So, they pass the increased costs on to their customers.
21:33But that, in turn, just means a vicious cycle
21:36where fewer people are coming
21:37and their turnover is falling.
21:48Not every sector of the leisure industry is struggling.
21:52With less spare cash,
21:54some people are changing their spending patterns,
21:57looking for cheaper alternatives
21:58that still allow for a small treat
22:00or affordable social activity.
22:06I'm Gaz, strength and conditioning coach of 13 years.
22:11I always had the dream of opening my own facility.
22:14I built this gym in 2018.
22:18Gyms, along with garden centres,
22:21food delivery and takeaways,
22:23are all doing well.
22:27Obviously, I've had the ups and downs over the years,
22:30but we've found that our membership's been nice and stable.
22:33The sweatshed has 132 members
22:36at a monthly subscription of £70,
22:39which has just risen to £79 for new members.
22:43The gym membership is a monthly membership
22:47where you can visit multiple times,
22:49whereas a lot of people spend that and more
22:52on a single night out.
22:56There are other factors, too.
22:58Younger people in particular are drinking less
23:00and prioritising their health,
23:03with around a third saying
23:04they haven't drunk alcohol in the last year.
23:09I find that a lot of the members here
23:11like getting out and experiencing something like the gym
23:14with a bunch of like-minded individuals.
23:18It's almost like their social activity
23:20and almost like their night out now
23:22to have a chat and have a laugh with people.
23:37Amongst the hardest hit by job losses
23:40in the hospitality sector are young people.
23:45I've come to the Forum Theatre in the Romilly area of Stockport.
23:54This is one of the biggest theatres in Stockport,
23:57but it's very grassroots, I would say.
23:59We're a home for local dance schools
24:01and theatre groups and up-and-coming bands.
24:04Down our skid row
24:08Down our skid row
24:09Down our skid row
24:09We use performing arts as a way of teaching young people,
24:12giving them life skills, giving them opportunities.
24:18The theatre is a charity
24:20and employs about 20 young people in part-time roles.
24:25In terms of personal development,
24:27it's got a whole range of things.
24:29You know, you're dealing with tickets,
24:30you're dealing with cleaning up,
24:31you're dealing with the public.
24:33It's my first job
24:34and it's an amazing opportunity to have, to be honest.
24:37Working within this environment with like-minded people,
24:40it makes me a lot more confident.
24:42It helps me with my people skills.
24:50Darren says changes to the minimum wage for young people
24:53will impact the theatre.
24:56For 18 to 20-year-olds,
24:59it will rise next month
25:00by an inflation-busting 8.5%
25:03to £10.85 an hour.
25:06For 16 and 17-year-olds,
25:09it will go up to £8 an hour.
25:13Where are we supposed to find the money
25:15to help pay for that?
25:16It's great for the individuals.
25:18It becomes a huge challenge for a business like ours.
25:21You have to think about,
25:23how long can I afford to employ those staff for?
25:27The latest figures show the number of 16 to 24-year-olds
25:31actively looking for work
25:33is at a 10-year high.
25:35At almost half a million,
25:38they make up a quarter of the total unemployed.
25:43Last week, the government announced a new scheme
25:46to subsidise employers
25:47who take on young people
25:49who've been looking for work
25:50for six months or more.
25:56Fundamentally, every young person you employ now
25:58is going to cost you a lot more to employ.
26:0125% or 26% more than two years ago.
26:04At the end of the day,
26:04that probably means you end up
26:05employing fewer young people.
26:10To support the leisure sector,
26:12the main opposition parties
26:14have a range of proposals,
26:15including cuts on VAT for hospitality,
26:18reductions or abolition of business rates,
26:21and measures to revive UK high streets.
26:27In a statement, the Treasury said,
26:29at the budget,
26:30the government took action
26:31to bear down on inflation
26:33and the cost of living,
26:35£150 off energy bills,
26:37a freeze to rail fares
26:39for the first time in 30 years,
26:41a freeze to prescription charges
26:43for the second year running,
26:45an increase to the national minimum
26:46and living wage,
26:48adding it also ended
26:50the two-child benefit cap,
26:52which will lift 450,000 children
26:54out of poverty
26:55by the end of this parliament.
27:04Visiting places like Tumble Jacks,
27:07Brew 32,
27:09the Sweatshed
27:10and the Forum Theatre,
27:12I'm struck by the role
27:13they play in the community.
27:16It's hard when a business closes
27:18on the high street
27:18and we're seeing
27:19there's a knock-on effect.
27:21If the pub closes,
27:22you don't get the footfall,
27:24you're not getting people coming.
27:25The restaurant's impacted,
27:27the theatre's impacted.
27:28These are community venues.
27:31The people who they serve
27:32will be part of their local community
27:34and if we lose them,
27:35we lose so much.
27:38Families and businesses
27:40across the UK
27:41have been feeling the squeeze.
27:44If it continues going up
27:46like it is doing,
27:47then I think
27:49we will have to cut back a lot.
27:51The priority for us
27:52as a household is
27:53paying the bills,
27:54keeping the house running
27:54and feeding and clothing
27:56the kids.
27:57And the steady increase
27:58in all those areas
27:59means there's less money
28:00to spend on those added extras.
28:02And with growing uncertainty
28:04about the impact
28:05of the war in the Middle East,
28:07things look set to get worse.
28:09I can't see much changing.
28:12I can't see things,
28:13prices coming down.
28:14I think we're going to have
28:15to just change
28:16how we budget things.
28:17With the world as it is
28:19at the minute,
28:19it's really hard
28:20to see where it ends.
28:22With predictions
28:24for economic growth
28:25looking more uncertain
28:27than ever,
28:28it could mean
28:29waiting even longer
28:30to enjoy some of life's
28:32little luxuries.
28:39¶¶
29:09Gracias por ver el video.
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