During the pandemic, Crawley’s economy took the biggest economic hit in England. Yet, despite the struggles faced by families at the time, in the years since the lockdowns ended living standards appear to have declined further. Following on from over a decade of low economic growth, the Autumn 2022 Budget introduced by Liz Truss triggered runaway inflation and soaring mortgages, hitting household budgets hard. Two-thirds of families are more worried about their finances than they were last year, with energy bills have risen by 63% in the last year, food by 32%, and housing costs by over 20%. Commenting on the recent figures, Peter Lamb—Labour candidate for Crawley, said: “Across Crawley, households are struggling to make ends meet, the direct consequence of an economy which has stagnated for over a decade under the Conservatives. “For families to make ends meet and to ensure we have the money we need to prevent public services from going under we need strong economic growth. If the Conservatives cannot deliver it, then we need a Government which can.”