This winter is going to be especially tough in Hull West and Hessle and across most of the UK with rising food, petrol and energy prices.
Conservative complacency is creating a cost of living crisis and storing up long-term problems for our economy, with working people and businesses paying the price.
Everyone is feeling the pinch, especially working families with the Conservative government hitting them with tax rises and a cut in Universal Credit.
The Labour Party have asked VAT to be abolished on domestic fuel bills for 6 months to help people through the winter months and we have asked for Business Rates to be cut for next year to allow our high street businesses and emerging industries to compete with online giants like Amazon (for who the government are cutting taxes).
Fuel poverty is set to increase substantially this winter. With the latest Ofgem price cap increase coming into effect, the Universal Credit uplift coming to an end and inflation increasing to 3.5% – more and more households are going to struggle to stay warm and well.
The taxes we pay are the highest since the war but we are getting so little in return, fewer police on the street, growing tax sizes and longest waiting times for hospital treatment, with ambulance waiting times expected to hit 6 hours in parts of the UK this winter.
There is a shortage of carers in our area. We need more funding to be allocated to Local Authorities so they can pay carers more – this will help to retain the carers we have whilst attracting new people to the role. On top of this we are facing a mental health crisis with our local mental health services needing more funding to meet the rising demand on their resources. It is unacceptable that people are waiting months to be seen by specialists.
After 11 years in Government, the Conservatives have weakened the foundations of our economy, and have no plan to address the critical challenges we face.
Labour would tax fairly, spend wisely and get the economy firing on all cylinders. Benefitting everyone in the country.
