Dorset residents brace themselves for ‘Awful April’ as bills soar

Homeowners across Dorset will see almost every household bill soar from today, in what’s been labelled “Awful April”.

April is the month when your council tax, water bills and other energy cost rise; when new, higher, parking fees are introduced and when employers will be paying more for National Insurance contributions, putting jobs at risk.

It estimated that council tax rises will on average cost households £90, while unprecedented hikes to water bills will add £123.

Meanwhile, energy bills will increase by £111 to almost £1,900 a year as well as broadband up by £21.99 and road tax up by a fiver.

Weekly grocery and clothing costs are likely to continue to rise and beer prices are expected to rise to over £5 a pint, where they have not already reached those levels.

Citizens Advice, already battling to cope with debt and other financial advice, fear a renewed surge in calls for help from struggling families and individuals.

Jamie White from Citizens Advice BCP told us: “Energy has been an ongoing issue for many and we've seen the price cap rise quite a number of times in the past few years.

“Seeing it increase again is really worrying because for those on the lowest incomes, they’ve already done as much as they can to maximise their income.”

For many families home ownership is now little more than a distant aspiration in costly Dorset, especially with stamp duty applying to properties over £125,000 instead of the previous £250,000.

Dorset Council, still one of the highest charging councils in the country, will begin taking an extra 5% from residents in council tax this month.

Citizens Advice said those on the lowest incomes were “already stretched” but these price hikes would push many to “breaking point”.

According to a study by the Institute for Public Policy Research Households, the lowest 10% for income were already spending almost two fifths of their earnings – after housing – on water, energy, broadband and car insurance bills.

This compared to 11% for those on middle incomes, with those in the top 10% for income spending just 5%.

Chief Executive Daniel Cadisch from Citizens Advice Dorset said: ““People are still struggling to meet their day-to-day bills.

“We would like people to access us for advice if they are on a negative budget and we will try and help by maximising benefits and grants; better deals on energy prices might be possible for some.

“If we can get in early, it can help prevent things getting worse.”

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