Rising Cost of Living

Marina Ahmad AM proposed, and Krupesh Hirani AM seconded, the following motion: 

“This Assembly notes that the cost of living in London and the UK has reached a 30-year high with inflation at 5.4% per cent. This Assembly further notes that the Treasury Committee in the House of Commons found that Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s latest Budget has contributed to a rise in UK inflation.

This Assembly notes that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have recognised that whilst the annual inflation rate was an average for all households, every person has their own inflation rate. This Assembly welcomes that the ONS is changing the way it collects and reports on the cost of food prices and inflation to take into consideration a wider range of income levels and household circumstances, which will be called the Vimes Boots index.

This Assembly notes that there are a number of actions that the Government could take which would bring Londoners out of poverty immediately such as reinstating the £20 a week Universal Credit uplift and removing the benefit cap, both of which the Mayor has called for.

This Assembly calls on the Chair of the Assembly to write to the Chancellor to reinforce the London Assembly position on this issue and ask him to look again at reinstating the £20 a week Universal Credit uplift and removing the benefit cap in light of the recent increase to inflation.”

Following debate and upon being put to the vote, the motion was agreed, with 14 votes being cast in favour and 8 votes being cast against.