PRESS RELEASE: Guildford Liberal Democrats launch survey to identify full scale of the cost of living crisis faced by local residents

Guildford Liberal Democrats
Contact: Zöe Franklin
EMBARGO: Immediate

In April inflation hit 9%, its highest rate in 40 years. Energy prices, fuel prices and good prices are all soaring with no sign of slowing down in 2022. For many people things are being made even worse by the recent National Insurance hike, cuts to Universal credit and the January fall in wages. The result is a cost of living crisis that has left people facing difficult financial decisions, some as extreme as the choice between heating and eating.

Zöe Franklin and the Guildford Liberal Democrat team are committed to listening to and supporting local residents so have this week launched a cost of living survey to help us better understand how the rising cost of living is impacting people across Guildford, Cranleigh and our villages. The survey is on top of our ongoing work calling for the government to take action to help people deal with the cost of living crisis, including calls to cut VAT and implement a windfall tax on energy suppliers who are set to make huge profits again this year, which our Conservative MP voted against on Tuesday night (17/5/22).

Zöe Franklin, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson for Guildford Cranleigh and our villages said:

"It is clear that the spiralling cost of living is becoming a real problem for people across the country. Instead of finding solutions to problems that people are facing, the Conservative Government is blaming the public and putting all the responsibility for fixing this crisis on them - despite the fact that so much of the current situation is down to the Government's own decisions and failure to respond to economic changes in a timely manner.

"What is even more insulting is the way that over the past few weeks we have seen various members of the Conservative Government, and some of their backbenchers, make insensitive and out-of-touch comments about how people should be helping themselves through the crisis. The latest example being a Government minister saying that to deal with the cost of living crisis, people should take an extra job or ask for a pay rise.

"This is crass and insensitive and yet again shows us how out of touch the Conservative party is. We have all had enough. People want action and support which is why I am launching my six-week cost of living survey and campaign. The information collected will help the Guildford Lib Dem team and I have as much information as possible about how local people are being impacted by the crisis. This in turn will help us to better highlight issues to Government and we will be better equipped to help find ways locally to support people who are struggling."

Residents can complete the cost of living survey by visiting http://guildfordlibdems.org.uk/ZFCostOfLivingSurvey