Stoke: A disabled man who sells his late wife’s belongings to pay the bills

A disabled man must sell his late wife’s belongings to keep himself afloat in the face of inflation.

Jason Alcock said he’s struggling to make ends meet amid the cost-of-living crisis hitting people across the country.

The 51-year-old from Stoke-on-Trent lives with autism, ADHD and bipolar disorder, conditions that make finding work extremely difficult.

As the prices of everyday goods soar to levels not seen in 40 years, he must make heartbreaking decisions to pay the bills.

His wife Paola died in 2018 after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Jason collects money from valuable items she left behind to keep afloat.

He said: “I’ve found I’ve sold £8,000 worth of stuff over the past three years to survive.

“Paola had a Star Wars collection, she used to do a lot of crafting. All these things, their old phones and tablets and so on, it’s all been sold.

“A lot of things I would have liked to have saved – they meant something to me – have all been sold.

“I’m at the point now where I have nothing left to sell.”

Calling for an overhaul of the benefits system for people with disabilities, he said: “Since (Paola died) there hasn’t been a month that I haven’t had to top up my money by selling something in the house. I shouldn’t do that.’

Jason, whose conditions make it impossible for him to leave home, is dependent on Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Employment Support Allowance (ESA) and a Severe Disability Award.

He said he was due to qualify for the £800 support announced by Rishi Sunak in May but described it as “a band-aid on a gaping chest wound”.

Fears continue to grow that the UK’s financial tightness could plunge into recession as households cut back on spending.

Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said on Wednesday that rising inflation will hit Britain harder than any other major economy during the current energy crisis and that manufacturing is likely to ease earlier and be more intense than others.

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