Life is not set to get any easier for local families finding it difficult to make ends meet.
Inflation is beginning to add extra costs to household and grocery bills. Interest rates are pushing mortgage payments up and with the national insurance increase due to come into force in April, many people are finding out exactly what having a high tax, low growth Tory Government means on a daily basis.
The recent announcement by the Chancellor on rising energy bills, loading costs on ordinary taxpayers with a buy now, pay later scheme only goes to show how they have completely run out of ideas.
Labour’s fully-funded plan would instead keep bills low with a windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas producers with booming profits saving households £200 off their bills, with extra targeted support of £400 to those who need it most. Crucially, Labour’s plan would help those on the lowest incomes most.
Here in Wales, the Welsh Labour Government is doing what it can to cushion the blow of the cost of living crisis and has confirmed an additional package of support worth more than £330m.
It includes:
- A further Winter Fuel Support Scheme in 2022-23, giving more people on low incomes a non-repayable £200 cash payment towards their energy bills.
- Investment in the Discretionary Assistance Fund ensuring more people can receive emergency financial support when they need it.
- A £150 cost-of-living payment to all households living in properties in council tax bands A to D and to all households receiving support from the Council Tax Reduction Scheme in all council tax bands
- A further £25m will be available to local authorities in the form of a discretionary fund. They will be able to target this additional funding to help households which may be struggling.
This funding is in addition to the current £51m Household Support Fund, which was announced in November 2021 and the doubling of the Winter Fuel Support Scheme announced in January.
Further information on what help is available to households can be found on Carmarthenshire Council’s website. If you need any help in applying then please get in touch with my office: 43 Pottery St, Tel: 01554 756374, E:mail nia.griffith.mp@parliament.uk.
It seems that the current UK Government, however, has no problem whatsoever with huge sums of our money going on dodgy contracts and being lost to fraud and criminal gangs.
Total fraud across government is now estimated at £29bn a year and the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, recently wrote off £4.3bn paid out in fraud and error under Covid support schemes. Labour have uncovered £3.5bn of COVID contracts awarded to Tory-linked firms and a healthcare firm advised by disgraced former Tory MP Owen Paterson won a £133m contract unopposed. It was recently revealed that £13bn has been wasted on defence procurement alone over the last decade.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss spending £500k on her flights to Australia is only the latest example of a government that has totally lost its grasp and perspective.
