WHAT ARE we to make of Tories’ claims that for the first time in four wages are now rising faster than inflation, with wages rising by 1.7per cent and inflation at 1.6per cent? Sadly, a closer look reveals the stark truth: once you take out the lucky four per cent of people who saw a real rise income, due mostly to bonuses bounces (bankers), we see that the remaining 96per cent of people who did got a pay rise saw their pay increase by 1.4 per cent., these figures speak for themselves.

The reality is that most of us are still a whopping £40 a week worse off and need an eight per cent increase to eliminate the gap between the cost of living and wages. It’s little wonder that the working poor are turning to foodbanks and payday lenders in an effort to make ends meet.

Nigel Dix Montclaire Avenue, Blackwood