The Cumbria County Council Leader said that residents are going to be severely affected by the cost of living crisis. 

Stuart Young said: "We have not seen this level of inflation for many many years. It is going to get worse later on in the year." 

According to the Office for National Statistics, inflation hit 9% in April. Mr. Young has sat on the council since 1989 as a Labour councillor. 

"Those on the lowest incomes are often experiencing increased levels of inflation. When you experience a sudden hike in prices without your wages going up to compensate, there is a limit to how you can economise."

This comes after Rachel Maclean, the safeguarding minister, said on Sky News:

"Over the long term we need to have a plan to grow the economy and make sure that people are able to protect themselves better - whether that is by taking on more hours or moving to a better paid job."

Mr Young said that this will also affect middle class residents of Cumbria.

"People were about to go on a foreign holiday after COVID, and now they can't afford it." 

He promised that as a council they were doing what they could to address the crisis, saying that they were going to have a meeting tomorrow to discuss how to tackle the inflation rise. 

However, Mr Young laid blame at the foot of the government:

"There is only so much we can do with our budget. The national government needs to address this, I am sure they will in some way but it needs to happen."

Mr. Young also expressed concern that food banks will not be able to provide the supply needed to fit demand: 

"People used to go to the supermarket to donate a couple of tins to the food bank but now a lot of people have stopped doing this," he said. "This means that banks get less food in a time when they are being used the most." 

The Office for National Statistics measures inflation by monitoring the average price of consumer goods over a period of time.

They periodically release inflation rates, with today's figures based on April.