Action on the Cost of Living Crisis

Halving Energy Bills

Families and pensioners are being clobbered with energy bills that are still more than £50 a month higher than they were five years ago. And businesses are suffering too.

Generating electricity from solar or wind is now much cheaper than gas. But people aren’t seeing the benefit of cheap renewable power, because electricity prices are still tied to the price of gas.

Years of terrible energy policies under the Conservatives pushed up everyone’s bills, and this Labour Government has failed to prioritise cutting them.

The Lib Dem plan would break the link between gas prices and energy costs, so people can enjoy the benefits of cheap, clean power. This would halve bills and save families £870 a year on average.

Cheney Payne said: “I am a teacher at one of the most deprived schools in Cambridgeshire.  Since the weather turned cold, we have seen more families struggling due to the rising energy cost with issues like damp and mould and having to choose between heating and buying food.”

“The last Government failed to act. Now, we're calling on the Labour government to back our plan - people are desperate for change. Every day I hear from people locally struggling to pay the bills. We’re fighting to get a fairer deal. Halving energy bills is a big part of that.”

Fixing our trade with Europe

For millions of people struggling with higher bills, the Labour Government is offering nothing but higher taxes and budget chaos.

With no end in sight to the cost of living crisis, Labour are ignoring the biggest thing they could do to turbocharge our economy - fix our broken relationship with Europe.

A proper, ambitious deal with Europe - with a new customs union at its heart - would slash costs for businesses, boost economic growth and help end the cost of living crisis.

Brexit is costing the treasury £90 billion a year. Imagine how much more support families could be getting today if Labour were brave enough to start reversing some of those Brexit costs.

Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate Cheney Payne says, “Labour cannot keep running scared of Reform. Rejoining the single market and a UK-EU customs union would be fantastic for us.”

“Last year, Cambridge’s Labour MP failed to support a UK-EU customs union in a tied vote in parliament whilst their local county councillors refused to support rejoining the single market. Labour are letting our city down, while the Lib Dems are standing up for Cambridge’s economy and values.”

Fairer taxes for small businesses

The Lib Dems have called on the Government to provide relief equivalent to the previous 40% support levels, and to replace business rates with a fairer Commercial Landowner Levy that shifts the burden from struggling businesses to property owners.

Analysis by Lib Dem councillors shows businesses in neighbourhood shopping areas in Cambridge are being hit with rateable value increases of up to 46% and, with the removal of 40% relief, some businesses have been told their actual bills will quadruple in just two years.

Lib Dem Councillor Jamie Dalzell said, "One business on Milton Road has been told their bills will rise from £2,700 in 2024 to £6,600 in 2025, with projections of £10,900 for 2026 – a 304% increase in just two years. This is happening to businesses across Milton Road, Chesterton Road, Cherry Hinton, Queen Edith's and Arbury.

"These aren't wealthy corporations – they're local cafés, shops and hairdressers providing essential services to our communities. When they're forced to raise prices or close, it's residents who can least afford it who suffer most.

“The Government has raised new revenue from high-value properties which could be used to support small businesses, but it has chosen not to. The Federation of Small Businesses warns we face 'three years of business rates misery' with a 52% average hike in bills – this is a tax timebomb threatening our high streets.”

The Lib Dems also opposed the Labour government's increase to employers' national insurance, a decision which has severely impacted many small businesses, GP surgeries and care homes in Cambridge. The Lib Dems have also called for VAT on pubs, restaurants, entertainment and accommodation venues to be reduced by 5% as too many people are being priced out of restaurant meals and family days out.

Fighting to save Holiday Meal Vouchers

Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats have condemned the Labour Government's decision to scrap the existing funding for holiday food vouchers, and are demanding Labour act now to protect this vital support package for those struggling to put food on the table.

Keir Starmer’s Labour Government is withdrawing the Household Support Fund from the end of March 2026, pulling the rug from under families who rely on holiday food vouchers for their children. In its place, Labour are introducing the Crisis and Resilience Fund later this year - but they explicitly rule out using it for blanket provision of holiday meal vouchers to all children on Free School Meals meaning that Keir Starmer’s Labour are limiting how generous councils can be in ensuring children don’t go hungry.

Back in 2021, Lib Dem-led Cambridgeshire County Council was one of the first councils in the country to top up this government funding to ensure no school children went hungry over the holidays. And now, rather than see vulnerable children go hungry, Liberal Democrats are stepping in with £2.7 million to support families during the transition between schemes. This emergency funding will ensure families don't bear the cost of yet another government policy failure.

Cheney Payne, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Cambridge and a teacher at a Cambridgeshire secondary school said: “As a teacher at one of the most deprived schools in the county, I see the difference every day that the government's funding cuts are making to our most vulnerable families. This is another decision by Labour in government to remove vital support from our children and young people. 

“It is frankly outrageous to see Labour in Cambridgeshire blaming the County Council when it is Keir Starmer’s Labour who are scrapping the Household Support Fund and then limiting our council’s ability to use any new money to feed children in need - all while the Liberal Democrats are actually committing extra funds to cover the cracks left by Labour and keep food on the table over the school holidays.”