On Thursday 20 February, 2025 Dumfries and Galloway Citizens Advice Service launched their eagerly awaited cost of living report. This report followed up on the research carried out in 2014 and 2017 that focussed on the cost of a basket of essential groceries across our Region, matching small rural grocers with the main supermarkets. The 2024 report also included a review of the cost of road fuel, as well as the cost and frequency of public transport.
Given that the cost-of-living crisis still has a major impact on the lives of so many people recently, the timing of the report could not be better.
Jane Flanagan, Fundraising Development Officer and author of the report explained, “In 2024, we researched the cost of a basket of 11 basic grocery items in 35 local shops of different types across the region, updating the findings from our 2017 study. We also looked at the cost of travelling to work by car, analysing prices at 26 petrol stations, and also by public transport, focusing on bus travel.”
The report found that the average basket price in D&G in 2024 was £18.21, 18.8% more than in 2017, when the average was £15.33. Basket prices varied from the cheapest at £11.92 to the most expensive at £26.98, a price increase of 126%. Variation in price depended on the location and type of shop.
Jane continued, “A key finding or the research showed the unnecessary variation in pricing across the major supermarkets in different locations. It demonstrated that although smaller stores tend to charge more as a result of higher costs to themselves to bring in the produce, they lie at the heart of their communities, offering accessibility and additional ‘lifeline’ services to the benefit of residents.”
Commuting also presents challenges to residents. While almost 30% of workers in the region now work from home, the rest do not. Limited public transport options cause many to rely on car travel, which is much more user-friendly for those who live in rural or remote locations. High commuting costs not only impact on people’s employment, but also on their access to services and social opportunities. This situation is exacerbated by lower than national average incomes and high travel distances.”
D&G CAS Chief Executive, Phil Stewart said, “The report really confirms what we already knew that there is a rural premium that has a major impact on rural poverty across Dumfries and Galloway. I hope that the report’s recommendations, addressing rural poverty and choices for consumers and commuters, will receive support from local, Scottish and UK government, as well as retailers and transport companies. Helping to alleviate many of the challenges our region and its residents currently face.
As a region, it is a call to arms for all public and third sector services working to eradicate poverty in the region. To build on the excellent work that is being undertaken to address the consequences of poverty, to do more to work together, to work strategically to address the real causes of poverty, to concentrate our efforts on delivering for the people of Dumfries & Galloway in the right place, at the right time and in the right way, and helping change the lives of those in need for the better”.
A digital copy of the report can be found on the D&G CAS website at www.dagcas.org.
