During this Covid pandemic, what’s stood out are the legions of volunteers who have selflessly dedicated themselves to supporting others. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Whether it has been helping to pick up prescriptions; phoning neighbours to check up on them, delivering food parcels to the vulnerable, volunteering at vaccine centres, or working with the homeless, the devotion shown to public service has been remarkable.

Working with many charities across the town and volunteering with residents’ groups has for me been revealing and an eye-opener to the dedication of so many to others.

The volunteers join those who daily through their own occupation put themselves in harm’s way to protect and help us all. It’s the NHS that has led the remarkable vaccination success story. Handclapping during lockdown was a great way to show support but needs to be followed up with better pay and job security.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s budget on Wednesday failed to recognise the sacrifices and hard work of these people.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak. Photo: PA

Chancellor Rishi Sunak. Photo: PA

Mr Sunak, a multi-millionaire, once worked as a waiter “for fun”; others do out of necessity. What his budget revealed was there’s nothing fiscally responsible about the Tories. They’ve wasted £22 billion on a ‘Test and Trace’ system that didn't work, £2 billion thrown at outsourced contracts that didn’t deliver, spending £7,000 a day on management consultants. Meanwhile we have one of the highest death rates in the world.

That this government rewards their mates handsomely but ignores the very people who’ve kept our country going is a clear lesson of this pandemic.

Remember, the waiter always brings the bill and it’s us, hard-working families, not the wealthy, who will end up footing it after all.

  • Cllr Asif Khan is Hertfordshire county councillor for north Watford and Leggatts councillor