Thursday, 5th. February 2026

As a person of a certain age and whose income is made up of two pensions – one state and one work – I must keep a very close eye on what I spend. I often write about how I am able to change my lifestyle in order to make savings, as will be known to people who read my website.

In January 54% of my income went on rent. Anyone who is a private tenant will know what a burden this is, especially those who are also pensioners. After the bills are paid – council tax, energy, water and so forth – there is very little left for food and clothing, let alone a few of the ‘luxuries’ that make life bearable, like the occasional visit to a pub.

For most of my life I was a council tenant, as were my parents before me. I would dearly love to be a council tenant again but that choice was effectively removed in the Thatcher era. Of the 10 local councils in Devon only 3 still have council housing. I will never be a council tenant again, but I would like to think that the choice will exist in the not too-distant future, if only politicians could see it as a priority. We are living in a housing crisis, not a ‘cost of living’ crisis.