Cllr warns of poverty and hardship facing Wycombe residents

The Totteridge and Bowerdean member said residents were battling poverty, financial pressures and chronic health problems.

Cllr Wassell said: “Some of us actually live in Wycombe near the centre and experience it every day.

“Residents are struggling to pay their council tax and being summonsed to go to court over relatively low amounts.

“Parents who have an allowance for childcare are finding that they no longer get any exemption from that in their council tax and they’re struggling to live.”

She said dealing with poverty on a daily basis was “not contradictory to trying to inspire people”.

“All of us since we were elected have tried to inspire through role modelling, through striving for improvement,” she added.

Cllr Wassell also said GPs in Wycombe received less allocation than other parts of the county.

“We need to be realistic about the everyday lives of residents in Wycombe,” she told councillors.

“They have difficult lives, either working very strenuously or living with chronic conditions and so on.”

The comments highlight the hidden hardship facing some families in Wycombe, despite Buckinghamshire’s reputation as one of the country’s wealthier counties.

Wycombe has long been characterised by sharp contrasts between affluence and deprivation, with pockets of significant hardship sitting alongside some of Buckinghamshire’s wealthiest areas.

Cost-of-living pressures have intensified these challenges in recent years. Rising energy bills, food prices and housing costs have placed increasing strain on families already managing tight budgets.

Buckinghamshire Council has itself acknowledged that some parts of Wycombe face significant inequality despite the county’s wider reputation for affluence.

Through its “Opportunity Bucks” programme, the council said some communities are facing “significant challenges” and that support should be focused “where it is needed the most”.

The initiative was created to tackle inequality, improve opportunities and address priority issues affecting residents.

Areas identified as part of the programme in High Wycombe include Abbey, Booker and Cressex, Castlefield and Oakridge, Disraeli, Marsh and Micklefield, Sands, Terriers and Amersham Hill, and Totteridge and Bowerdean.

The programme aims to work with partners and communities to “make a meaningful difference to the lives and outcomes of residents”.

High Wycombe has also faced ongoing concerns around homelessness and rough sleeping, with charities and the council continuing to run support services across the area.

In the 2024/25 financial year, Buckinghamshire recorded the fifth‑highest number of homelessness applications of any local authority in England, with people trying to register themselves, and often their families, with the council because they don’t have a home.