The cost of living is ripping through our town.

In recent weeks, two of Bury’s greatest small businesses, Ramsbottom’s sumptuous Chocolate Cafe and tapas treat Levanter have shut.

Both said the cost of living and energy prices were why they had to close.

Meeting with them as they weighed up their futures, I could see their
will to survive was still there but the support available from government on bills falls short.

And the squeeze on shoppers is too much to bear.

"Covid was easier to navigate than this cost of living crisis", they both said.

It is reasonable to expect agile help to navigate the cost of living, just as with Covid, isn’t it?

The loss of livelihoods and the lack of change to everyday life is uppermost in everyone’s minds.

At the heart of May’s local elections is a simple question – are you better off after 13 years of the Tories?

Times are tough. As well as the biggest hit to living standards on record, many of us are paying the price of the Tory mortgage penalty while energy bills and food prices go up and up.

Wages have stood still at best and taxes for working people have shot up. This was not inevitable. It’s time for a change.

I keep my promise to answer "what would Labour do?" in these pages.

This local election, a Labour government would freeze council tax for this year, funding councils with the proceeds of a proper windfall tax on oil and gas giants.

Under the Tories, council tax bills are set to rise an average of five per cent.

Labour would keep energy bills low for good by insulating 19 million homes.

We would stop the Tory decision to hand the richest one per cent of pension savers £1bn and instead introduce specific measures to keep doctors in work.

We would close the non-dom tax loophole, so people who live and work here pay their tax here, and use that money to fund the biggest expansion of the NHS workforce in history and breakfast clubs at every primary school.

Despite the challenges we face. And in difficult times for a great many of us.

It is a source of real strength to see and learn of the generosity there is to one another.

Acts of kindness that continue across our community. From
local food and clothing collections, to volunteer and charity works.

Community and faith events designed to involve everyone. Festivals and school fairs that raise important funds for our children and schools.

Or just a good excuse for a Great British get-together!

Our community spirit continues and is one we can be rightly proud
of.

We keep in mind the thousands of residents in Bury that play by the rules to make ends meet. We know it's tough.

And know that many more have it even tougher. Together, we will overcome these testing times.

Our resolve to finding ways to support those who are most in need remains.

And our determination extends to those local employers and entrepreneurs who rode out Covid only to be knocked out by the government’s woeful handling of the economy.

We believe in better, for Bury and Britain.

And when it comes, we must take the chance to change for the better.

For everyone, with change you can trust.

James Frith is the Labour Candidate for the next general election. He served as MP for Bury North between 2017 to 2019 and hopes to again. He tweets @JamesFrith and can be contacted via JamesFrithforBuryNorth.com