Havering Cost of Living survey

During November and December 2025, we asked residents about their experiences of cost of living pressures in Havering and their awareness of the Council’s Emergency Assistance Scheme. 

We wanted to understand whether the Scheme is reaching everyone who may need support and to gather broader information about financial pressures across the borough.  

Working with Westco, a public sector communications agency, we carried out an online survey and three in-person sessions using a World Cafe approach. 

World Café sessions are larger than traditional qualitative group discussions and focus on allowing participants to discuss their personal experiences in a more informal setting.   Attendees discussed four key topics throughout each session: 

• You and your money 

• The cost of living 

• When times get tough 

• Help and support 

All attendees were recruited from across Havering and were eligible for Universal Credit or Pension Credit.

• We received 1526 responses to our online survey. 

• Despite conducting initial recruitment with 80 people and gaining their agreement to attend the World Café sessions, we achieved a total attendance of 36 participants. 

Your feedback told us:

• Confidence in managing money tends to grow with age and experience, peaking during working life, while younger residents (aged 18–34) are more likely to describe their financial situation as poor. 

• Food is seen as the top spending priority, followed by essential housing costs such as rent or mortgage payments and Council Tax. 

• Many residents feel that rising living costs are largely outside their control, particularly younger people, and would welcome clearer, trusted support and information. 

• Financial pressures take up a significant part of daily life and can affect wellbeing, highlighting the importance of support that considers both financial and mental health. 

• Most residents facing financial challenges have already taken steps to manage their spending, but low savings mean there is limited room to plan ahead or build resilience. 

• People are more likely to turn to family, friends and community networks for support, with different types of support being valued at different life stages. 

• Residents who have accessed the Emergency Assistance Scheme generally view it positively, though almost half of residents were unaware of the financial support available. 

We used this feedback to shape our help and support over the Christmas period in terms of what we did and who we targeted. 

We also used your feedback to help shape our response to the Crisis Resilience Fund, a grant from Government which is designed to help and support people to become more financially resilient. 

We will continue to use your views to shape our plans going forward, ensuring support is clearer, more accessible and better targeted.  

• Our plan will include your feedback to assume low prior knowledge when communicating about support, using simple, reassuring language.  

• Use a mix of communication channels to reach different age groups, while recognising the importance of human, direct contact.  

This insight will help us strengthen how residents access support, including through phone and face‑to‑face options, so people feel listened to and supported when they need help most. 

If you would like further help or information, please visit the Havering website.