Yorkshire man trends after saying soaring living costs take ‘nearly half’ his salary

A West Yorkshire man has been trending online this week after speaking to The Guardian about how 40% of his salary goes on ‘soaring’ house costs – adding that energy bill rises have cut massively into his savings.

33-year-old Band 6 NHS worker Joshua Wheeler-Gaunt, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, told the newspaper that he is increasingly worried about rising costs of living.

He also said that he feels he might need to leave the UK to be able to afford to start a family.

Mr. Wheeler-Gaunt currently works in quality assurance for an NHS unlicensed medicines manufacturer, with a pay grade of between £32,000 and £39,000 a year.

However, despite acknowledging his salary is ‘above average’ he says even “small luxuries” such as a beer or a meal out now “threaten to swallow a chunk” of his income – to the point where he feels he can’t go out.

“I think my energy bills are up by about £15 a month when compared with last summer, which will be more like £40 or £50 once it gets colder,” he said.

“Water rose by about £60 a year, council tax by a few pounds a month …. Each one eats into your spare income.

“I’d say about 40% of my salary is easily gone on house costs – mortgage, council tax and bills – before considering any maintenance or improvements.”

Explaining that he lives alone, he added that any rise in costs chips away significantly at what he can save – meaning if his “knackered” boiler goes he won’t be in such a good place to be able to replace it.

“I used to live in Switzerland, where the cost of living is more balanced and you feel like there is actually a future,” he added, saying that the situation here adds another element of stress and that he is considering leaving the country in order to be able to afford to have a family.

It comes as industry experts are warning of steep rises to household energy bills, with the Financial Times reporting that they will go up by “more than £550 a year if the price of gas stays at its current level” and the government do not intervene.

The FT also reports that at least five energy retailers in the UK have gone out of business since the beginning of August.

Feature image – Joshua Wheeler-Gaunt