Budget 2026: 'Surrey is a lovely place - but it can be stressful'

**Budget 2026: 'Surrey is a lovely place - but it can be stressful'**

Jo Burton from Hersham says food and school uniform costs are rising.

Surrey is among the wealthiest areas in the country and, according to council papers, one of the biggest net contributors to the UK economy after London.

Yet with average house prices of about £500,000 and high rents, it is also one of the costliest places to live.

For many people across the county, the pressure of the cost of living is enormous and difficult to manage.

So as Chancellor John Healey gets ready to present his first budget on Wednesday, what support are residents and businesses hoping for?

Andy Hayward, who owns Thames Side Brewery in Staines, says hospitality is a difficult sector to work in right now.

Andy Hayward, owner and head brewer at Thames Side Brewery, a pub and live music venue in Staines, told BBC Radio Surrey that working in hospitality "is tough generally... whether it's restaurants, pubs, breweries".

"We don't get many people coming in these days just for beer... they need something to come out for," he said.

"When I was growing up we used to go to the pub to meet and just chat and now it seems like people need a reason to go out, so the live music is really helping us."

Hayward said he would like the government to cut business rates, reduce VAT on hospitality and bring in measures so "the public have more money in their pocket".

Lucy from Banstead wants the government to consider ways to bring down food prices.

Lucy, from Banstead, who has two children, says Surrey is a "lovely area to have kids in" but can be a "very stressful place to live" because it is "expensive".

She added that she depends on places such as Banstead Pantry, run by the charity Good Company, to "provide for my family".

"Once you've paid your essential bills, your energy, your rent, your fuel, things like that, you're left with nothing, and you want to be able to go out and spend money on (the) children and give them the things that they want and deserve and sometimes the money is just not there to do it now, which is hard," she told BBC Radio Surrey.

She wants ministers to make lowering food prices a priority.

James Stevenson from Hersham says Surrey says they try to keep costs low and budget as much as possible.

Elmbridge has some of the highest housing costs and has seen an increase in the number of people living in poverty, with 68% of those being part of working households, according to the Walton Charity.

Jo Burton and James Stevenson, who both live in Hersham in the borough, have been sharing their cost-of-living experiences as part of a project the charity is running.

Burton said food is "getting more expensive" and "school uniforms cost an absolute fortune and they don't need to".

She added: "Whatever system you're dealing with, it feels like a maze... you never really get anywhere and no one really properly helps you out."

Stevenson said Surrey is "prohibitively expensive when you're in my financial situation".

"It's extremely difficult and every month we run out of money before the end of the month despite trying to keep our costs as low as possible and budgeting well," he said.

"We need to get the people at central government to actually understand what it's like on the ground."

Stevenson said ministers need to address energy costs and the cost of petrol and "take a much harder look at society and what the government can do".

An HM Treasury spokesperson said: "We know families are feeling the impact of higher prices, pushed up by conflicts overseas.

"The Chancellor is focused on giving households and businesses a bit of breathing space where we can.

"That's why we have removed VAT from electricity bills, capped bus fares in England at £2 in 2027, extended the 5p fuel duty cut, and frozen rail fares and prescription charges."