This Winter, people all over the Five Towns, Hemsworth and our villages are facing a struggle.
With a Labour Council in Wakefield and a Labour Government in Westminster taxes are set to rise.
Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have wasted no time in cutting essential Winter Fuel Payments for 57,255 pensioners in Wakefield District living on as little as £14,500 a year, and our local Labour councillors have already pushed through a council tax rise of 4.99% - the maximum permitted without holding a local referendum.
And Rachel Reeves’ budget this autumn has delivered more bad news for people in our area - she’s imposed a tax on jobs that could stop small businesses taking on more staff or raising wages, and advisors from London think tanks encouraged her to go after people saving into their pensions. Even people who try to make better choices, like swapping a pint for a soft drink or swapping cigarettes for a vape will be hit with punishing rises, while Labour politicians enjoy VIP outings in designer clothes, paid for by wealthy donors.
Most people say they don’t mind paying more to fund local services - but our council has wasted millions - paying compensation to a private development firm over a botched land deal in Featherstone, buying a failing retail park in the centre of Wakefield, and writing off a £1 million debt owed by a tip operator.
But your local Conservatives are fighting back - holding Labour to account for their waste and demanding your money should be spent wisely by our council.