44%of residents surveyed were less able to meet day-to-day costs (2025)Portsmouth City Council ↗ · retrieved 10 Nov 2026
Are you able to meet the current day-to-day costs of living?“Less able, or cannot meet, day-to-day costs (sum of three options)” · Portsmouth residents’ research (Your City, Your Say) · Survey-based evidence
202353%
202441%
202544%
Table, wording and bases
Are you able to meet the current day-to-day costs of living?
Year
Share
Base
Question and notes
2023
53%
2,049 (weighted)
What impact has the increase in the cost of living had on you being able to meet the day-to-day costs of living now? Survey-based evidence from an open, weighted resident survey. 32% slightly less able, 18% much less able, 3% cannot meet. Wording differed from 2024 and 2025: it asked about the impact of rising costs, so treat the change as indicative.Source ↗
2024
41%
1,235 (weighted)
Are you able to meet the current day-to-day costs of living? Survey-based evidence from an open, weighted resident survey. 30% slightly less able, 10% much less able, cannot meet not charted; the Wave 6 page states 41% and the Wave 7 page states 40% for 2024.Source ↗
2025
44%
1,464 (weighted)
Are you able to meet the current day-to-day costs of living? Survey-based evidence from an open, weighted resident survey. 26% slightly less able, 14% much less able, 4% cannot meet.Source ↗
Related measures
14.1 per 100 peoplePeople receiving Pension Credit, per 100 people aged 66 and overCity November 2025 · 2.9 per 100 people aged 66+ higher than England (11.2)
What residents say
“Do you know where to go for support with the cost of living?” Answer: Yes
38%
Self-selected responses · 1,464 respondents · weighted · fieldwork 15 August to 14 September 2025 · Portsmouth City Council ↗
Survey-based evidence. 38% yes, 38% no, 23% unsure. This asks where to go for support in general, not about the council’s cost-of-living hub or helpline. Earlier waves asked a different question, so there is no trend.
2 · Who is acting
What’s being done
Official work and other organisations’ projects that address this problem, each with why it is linked. A shared action is the same record shown under each problem it addresses.
Why it’s linked: Its first priority is maximising household income; it also strengthens the local safety net.
Committed by Health and Wellbeing BoardIn progress
Tackling Poverty Action Plan 2026-2028
Deliver twelve tasks under four priorities: maximising household income, strengthening the local safety net, increasing opportunities and improving wellbeing, and using data to support partnership working.
4 March 2026milestone Tackling Poverty Action Plan 2026-2028 presented to the Health and Wellbeing Board, for information. source ↗
23 September 2026milestone Delivery update against the twelve tasks presented to the Health and Wellbeing Board. Reported figures cover outputs, not changes in hardship. source ↗
Why it’s linked: Crisis Payments for a sudden loss of income or emergency cost, and money and benefits advice.
Committed by Portsmouth City CouncilIn progress
Crisis and Resilience Fund
Run the Crisis and Resilience Fund from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029: crisis payments, housing payments, grants to local resilience services and community coordination.
1 April 2026milestone Crisis and Resilience Fund began, running to 31 March 2029. source ↗
8 May 2026milestone Government grant determination allocated £3,691,344 to Portsmouth for 2026/27, paid in monthly instalments. source ↗
31 August 2026output 1,012 crisis payment applications received and 428 awards made, totalling £139,707; 323 applications were declined as ineligible. source ↗
23 September 2026output 33 resilience grants awarded, worth £748,392, from 47 applications; 90% of the money falls in the fund’s first year. source ↗
13 October 2026milestone Council states it has allocated over £1.5 million to local resilience services and over £400,000 to community coordination; funded services not yet listed. source ↗
13 October 2026milestone The council reports allocating over £1.5 million to resilience services (food, advice, energy, wellbeing, housing and homelessness help) and over £400,000 to community coordination, which funds the Cost of Living Hub and helpline. These are parts of the fund, not additions to it; the funded services had not yet been listed. source ↗
How we’ll know
Measuring progress
The council survey’s share of residents less able to meet day-to-day costs, wave by wave (same wording since 2024), and Pension Credit uptake for older people.
A change in these figures does not by itself show that any one action worked.
3 · What is still missing
Not yet published
Council Tax Support claimants and awards by area (Freedom of Information request). Only a city-wide value of the support is published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; it is a value, not a number of people.
Crisis and Resilience Fund awards after the first five weeks (to about 1 June 2026) and the list of resilience grants. Only the early totals are published.
Funding, progress measures and results for the Tackling Poverty Action Plan 2026–28 (none stated in the records checked).
