HOUSEHOLDS across the city have been receiving a leaflet from the council with advice amid the cost of living crisis.

The leaflet, published by Brighton and Hove City Council, is being delivered to every address in the city and provides help and advice on the cost of energy, food, and other essentials.

Council leader Phelim Mac Cafferty said: “This is a really worrying time for our residents with rent, bills and groceries increasing.

“You’re not alone. We’re working with many organisations to make sure there’s support available.”

Among the support suggested in the leaflet include help through the government’s Household Support Fund - available to everyone until the end of this month, as well as access to free school meals, the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership and mental health support.

It also says that every household in council tax bands A to D will receive £150 towards rising fuel costs, likely to be in April or May. More details on this are set to be published on the council’s website.

The council’s advice comes as inflation in the UK hit 4.3 per cent in February, with prices at the supermarkets rising fastest for savoury snacks, fresh beef and cat food.

The cost of petrol and energy has also spiked and is set to worsen as a result of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, said: “Apart from the start of the pandemic, when we saw grocers cut promotional deals to maintain availability, this is the fastest rate of inflation we’ve recorded since September 2013.

“Added to this, ongoing supply chain pressures and the potential impact of the conflict in Ukraine are set to continue pushing up prices paid by consumers.”

Rail fares also jumped this month in the largest rise in nearly a decade, at 3.8 per cent in England and Wales.

The Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) said that it would now take seven weeks for a full-time worker in Brighton earning an average salary to pay for their annual season ticket.

Paul Tuohy, chief executive of the campaign group, said that the fare rise would do nothing to ease the cost of living crisis.

He said: “If this government is serious about shrinking transport’s carbon footprint and growing the economy, it must do more to address the high cost of public transport by prioritising fares reform, introducing more contactless and pay as you go ticketing, and providing a better value flexible commuter ticket to cater to the millions of new hybrid workers.”

Economists have warned that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began last week, could send inflation soaring to around eight per cent in April.

Wheat and corn prices rose more than five per cent per bushel and are already up more than 20 per cent so far this year, with Ukraine being a key exporter of both crops.