Effect of higher shopping bills, higher council tax and higher utility bills
North East Herts MP Oliver Heald has warned that the cost of living in North East Hertfordshire is rising faster than many families’ incomes, and criticised the Government’s measure of ‘inflation’.
Although Gordon Brown claims that official inflation is running at 2.5%, new research shows that the prices of goods and services which are bought frequently have tended to increase far more rapidly than the ‘official’ consumer inflation rate. The prices of many basic household items – bread, butter and eggs – have seen double digit rises in recent months. Petrol prices have been rising rapidly. Gas and electricity prices have jumped by 10 per cent in the last month alone. And tax changes in the Budget will push up families’ costs yet further.”
Reiterating what he said in his recent speech in the Budget Debate in the House of Commons, Oliver Heald said,
“This latest research confirms what I was saying in the recent Budget debate in Parliament. We cannot ignore inflation and the Government’s latest official index seems to be wildly different from the real world.
“Sadly, Labour now seem so out of touch with the lives of working people that they keep on piling on the misery, with an extra £110 of taxes a year in the Budget for the average family.
“A new Conservative Government will be on the side of working people, with a long-term plan to fix the country’s finances and make sure public money is spent properly. That way, over time, we can cut taxes and the cost of living.”