‘Helping the rich’: mini-budget brings fear and anger to PM’s home patch
On the high street in the leafy suburb of Roundhay, where Liz Truss went to school and her parents still live, there is a sense of frustration, and even anger, at the measures announced in Friday’s mini-budget.
Catherine Brittain, a childminder, was forced to negotiate with her energy provider, which upped her bills from £109 a month to £350. She was able to agree to pay £200 until after Christmas.
She said: “I can’t afford to pay more. I’m worried about the cost of living and at the moment I haven’t passed that on to parents but I’m not sure how much longer I can keep it up.”
She needs to provide a warm home for the children she cares for, as well as meals, and it comes at a cost.
“I’m not a charity. I could charge more but I charge what I think is fair.”
Brittain is worried about the ability of Truss – “a vile human being” – and her cabinet to prevent a huge economic crisis and is sceptical of the chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s tax reforms.
Kwarteng revealed a surprise cut to income taxes, scrapping the additional rate, which saw high earners paying 45% on any income over £150,000. He also brought forward a planned 1% cut in the basic rate of income tax from 2024 to next year.
“They’re just helping the rich and maybe a few crumbs eventually dribble down to us.
“We need a windfall tax, otherwise we’re just going to pass on these debts to our children.”
Last month, Sade Scales’s monthly direct debit for her gas and electricity rose from £65 to £89 overnight. It might not seem like much compared to what some people are paying but working as a part-time carer in Leeds while looking after a disabled child, any further rises will hit her hard.
Because her bills are comparatively low, she will not be helped by the energy price cap
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