Since becoming your MP, I’ve been out across the Forest of Dean, speaking to parents, carers, teachers, and grandparents. The message I hear consistently is the same: people are working hard, doing the right thing, and still struggling to make ends meet.

I know the past few years have been tough, with bills rising, mortgages and rent increasing, and family budgets stretched to breaking point. That’s why I support the government’s focus on supporting families, easing the cost of living, and making sure every child gets the best possible start in life.

The government has been making the tough but fair choices needed to stabilise the economy, keep borrowing under control, and bring bills down. It is great to see that six interest rate cuts have already reduced the average cost of a new mortgage by almost £1,400 a year—real money back in people’s pockets.

Families will also save around £150 on energy bills from April, once levies are removed. The 5p cut in fuel duty has been extended until the end of August, rail fares are frozen for the first time in 30 years, and NHS prescription charges are frozen for the second year running.

At the same time, wages are rising. The National Living Wage and Minimum Wage increases give millions of workers a pay rise, while the Triple Lock means nearly 13 million pensioners will see their state pension rise by up to £575.

I also know how hard it is for working parents to juggle jobs, childcare, and family life. Free breakfast clubs are already in 750 schools, with another 2,000 coming from April. I’m pleased that Huntley C of E Primary School and Bream C of E Primary School are part of a trial for extended breakfast clubs, supported by Morrisons.

Thousands of new places are also being created in school-based nurseries, alongside the new entitlement to 30 hours of free childcare for working parents of children aged nine months to four years. We’re also helping with the cost of school uniforms by limiting the number of branded items schools can require—a small change that makes a real difference for the families I talk to every week.

It's awful that most children in poverty live in households where at least one parent is working. That’s why it's so important that the government is scrapping the two-child limit and expanding free school meals to half a million more children from low-income families. This is funded responsibly by tackling welfare fraud and tax avoidance, and by reforming gambling taxes.

Closer to home, I want to support families of children with additional needs. Parent carers, educators, and professionals often work within a system that feels set against them. That’s why I’m holding my third MP SEND Event here in the Forest of Dean on 26th February, from 6 pm to 8 pm, bringing parent carers together with educators and support services to drive practical improvements, while ensuring support for local families.