KATE OSBORNE: Government is failing to protect those people on low incomes

The worrying cost of gas and electricity is hitting working-class people the hardest and many constituents have contacted me saying they are already seeing a sharp rise in their bills.

I was advised by one constituent that he had been quoted a whopping £246 per month when he was looking at price comparison sites

It is predicted that energy bills are going to rise by up to 50% for millions of households when the energy price cap is adjusted in April.

It is feared that many families could be paying out an unprecedented £2,000 a year, which would leave many people below the breadline.

The explosion of food banks over the past decade-plus under the Conservatives is about more than just hunger – it’s about what sort of society this country has become. It is a society where over 15 million people are living in poverty and working people have no choice but to turn to a food bank because their wages simply don’t cover their bills.

It is heartbreaking that one in three children is judged to be living in poverty in this area.

With council tax set to rise in April, as well as national insurance, many families are wondering how they are going to get through the coming months.

I work closely with our local Citizens Advice Bureau in South Tyneside, and am told that energy bills are the second biggest area of debt behind council tax. The increase in fuel debt directly correlates to increases in foodbank referrals.

The reality of the huge struggles working people face under this Government hits home when figures from the Trussell Trust show that the need for foodbanks has increased by 128%.

This is a damning indictment on this Government.

How are families going to manage when they’ve been quoted with an 89% increase in fuel bills?

The Government need to get their head out of the sand and get a hold of this escalating crisis.

It should not come down to a choice between heating or eating.

This is a Government that cares little for the people of this country, particularly the north. Their actions during the pandemic are proof alone – but the failure to support and protect people who are on low incomes, struggling to make ends meet, is yet another failure.