Labour's Ruth Cadbury says Chancellor is out of touch

Labour’s Ruth Cadbury has criticised Chancellor George Osborne’s budget saying it takes no effective action to deal with the cost-of-living crisis.

"The vast majority of people who responded to my recent Cost of Living survey, have told me their living standards have fallen in the last three years and that the rising cost of fuel bills, housing, food and fares concern them", commented the Labour general election candidate for Brentford & Isleworth.

“The Chancellor boasted about how well things were going, but his budget was totally out of touch with hardworking people facing rising bills and frozen incomes.”

“Real incomes here are down over £1600 a year since David Cameron became Prime Minister, and the Office of Budget Responsibility confirms that people will be worse off in 2015 than they were in 2010. With rising rents and house prices locally, people here see no light at the end of the tunnel.

“George Osborne has overseen the slowest recovery for 100 years and is forecast to borrow over £180 billion more than planned. People living in this constituency are not seeing the benefit of what small recovery there is.”

On the promise for Pensioners in the Budget, Ruth Cadbury said; “Whilst help for savers is welcome, and we’ll look at the details, older people will not forget the Granny Tax. Furthermore the Budget has failed to cap pension fees and charges which leave pensioners paying hundreds and thousands over their lifetimes.”

She said Labour is committed to:
-Freeze energy bills until 2017
-Ensure all long-term unemployed are given a job, paid for by a tax on bank bonuses
- Cut taxes for 24million working people on middle and low incomes with a lower 10p rate
- Cut business rates for small firms and a plan to get 200,000 homes built a year by 2010

March 20, 2014