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

Surrey is one of the wealthiest parts of the country and, according to council papers, one of the largest net contributors to the UK economy after London.

But with average house prices at around £500,000 as well as high rents, it is also one of the most expensive places to live.

For many people in the county, there are huge cost-of-living pressures that are a struggle to deal with.

So as the Chancellor John Healey prepares to deliver his first budget on Wednesday, what kind of support are residents and businesses asking for?

Andy Hayward, the 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 reduce business rates, cut VAT on hospitality and introduce measures so "the public have more money in their pocket".

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 she relies on places like Banstead Pantry, which is 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 prioritise lowering food prices.

Elmbridge has some of the highest housing costs and has seen a rise 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 that 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 that 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 deal with energy costs and the costs 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."

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