The Chancellor’s lacklustre Spring Statement failed to adequately protect local families from soaring bills and the Conservatives’ worsening cost of living crisis.

Families were looking to the Chancellor to offer them hope, instead he is adding to their pain by refusing to scrap his unfair tax rises.

This was crunch time for the Chancellor and the Conservatives, and they haven’t stepped up to the mark. Its families in Watford who they have been clobbered with unfair tax hikes who will pay the price for this massive missed opportunity.

Rishi Sunak should scrap his punishing tax hikes, and back Liberal Democrat calls for an emergency cut to VAT, from 20 per cent to 17.5 per cent for one year. This would put £20 million back into the pockets of 32,000 households in our area and support our local shops, cafes and restaurants.

And a windfall tax on the super profits of oil and gas producers, which could have raised billions to help people with their energy bills, was again overlooked, as Watford households remain on course for the biggest drop in living standards since records began.

Cllr Mark Hofman (Liberal Democrat)

Nascot Ward,

Watford Borough Council