The average British family is spending


While mortgage costs have shot up as a result of last year’s Bank of England rate rises and the impact of the credit crunch, it is the rising cost of other essential bills which is really putting the squeeze on finances. Steep increases in the price of gas and electricity, above inflation council tax and water bills, and a rise in home insurance premiums following last summer’s floods are all adding to the problem. Last year the same household’s bills, including mortgage, would have been on average