Britain is pausing to mourn the Queen — but its cost of living crisis continues

When the west London borough of Hounslow announced it was holding a cost of living "marketplace" on Sept. 14, officials promoted the event by saying it would connect financially strapped people with organizations that could help prevent "residents from reaching crisis point in the testing months ahead."

On Tuesday, organizers announced they were postponing the event due to the Queen's death. 

"During this period of national mourning, as a mark of respect, Council events and events managed by the Council will be cancelled," said Hounslow Cabinet member Shivraj Grewal in a statement to CBC News. The local council, which is the equivalent of a municipal government, organized and advertised the event, before ultimately making the decision to postpone it. 

While the death of 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth has thrown much of the U.K. into a grieving period, the pause comes as the country grapples with a cost of living crisis spurred by rising inflation and soaring energy prices.

WATCH | The Queen's casket leaves Buckingham Palace:

For many Brits, multiple days of pomp and protocol paid for by the state are hard to square with what they see as an urgent economic problem the government needs to address now.

"The injustice and unfairness of the two-tiered society we live in is being illustrated," said Karen Teulon in an email to CBC. Teulon was one of several Hounslow residents who criticized the council's decision to cancel the cost of living event online. 

She felt there was no need to postpone it, considering it wasn't being held during the Queen's funeral, and would wrap up before Wednesday's ceremonial procession was set to leave Buckingham Palace. 

While Teulon wasn't planning on attending the cost of living event, she said she is "well aware" of the impact rising prices are having on people in her community. 

Hounslow is one of London's poorest boroughs, where one in four people live in poverty, according to Trust for London, an independent charitable foundation.

While the community event will be rescheduled for later in the month, a far more pressing issue is the government's plan to roll out a £150 billion ($227 billion Cdn) package to freeze energy bills.

Newly appointed Prime Minister Liz Truss, who met with the Queen just two days before her death, had announced the support package in Parliament on Sept. 8.

Following her death, parliamentary business was postponed until after Sept. 21.

While the government says it plans to deliver a fiscal update later this month, no specific date has been set.