COPELAND residents have been hit by the cost of living crisis, with thousands of people in the borough now expected to be struggling to pay their bills.

Councillor Emma Williamson raised the issue at Cumbria County Council's annual general meeting last week, calling on members from across the political spectrum to take action.

She spoke out about rising poverty levels after bleak figures from Citizens Advice estimate that 7,000 people in Copeland are now unable to pay their energy bills.

Cllr Williamson, who represents Kells and Sandwith on the county council, said she had attended a meeting held by West Cumbria Child Poverty Forum, where she heard from third sector organisations and community groups.

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Speaking at the AGM, she said: "Many of our third sector partners are working at full capacity and are worried to the point that many are in despair. They report ‘there are just some people that we cannot help. They don’t have anything left to cut. They have cut their spending to the absolute bone’.

"We may all have differing political ideologies, but I would like to believe that each and every one of us wants better than this for our communities and people. Imagine waking up each day and having to make a decision about which family members can eat today and whether they can afford to heat their home.

"People are now actively avoiding fresh vegetables from food banks because they cannot afford to cook them. I ask again how have we allowed this to happen? It truly beggars belief."

Cllr Williamson said the figures from Citizens Advice were derived before the April fuel cost increase and the situation would likely become worse in October when costs increase again.

She told councillors: "I was raised in poverty but this is so much more than even my experiences of poverty can recognise. We need action and we need it now. This is not the time for soundbites, slogans and political indifference.

"We as a council must pull together and give this everything we’ve got, otherwise the future for our elderly, working poor and young people is so achingly bleak we might just be the generation that took us back to something akin to Victorian Britain.

"I for one will not allow this to happen. I will be in my community supporting those most in need every day and I will challenge government policy at every turn."

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