I enjoyed the speech of the hon. Member for Penrith and The Border (Rory Stewart). He focused on issues relating to older people, and I think that many of the points he made were welcome. No doubt we shall have opportunities to explore them over the coming months and years. However, I have to dispute, for reasons that I shall explain shortly, his opening remark that the Budget had focused on young people.
As we know, this year’s Budget followed a huge global financial crisis and several years of flatlining in our economy. The growth that we are now seeing is very welcome, but I think we must acknowledge that, outside the M25 collar around London, it is quite patchy. In many areas, local communities are struggling to secure balanced growth in their economies, and it is undeniable that many people are experiencing a cost of living crisis. In Telford, which has a history of low wages, a history of temporary working and a history of agency working, people are still struggling to make ends meet. There has been some growth in the banking sector—the food banking sector, that is. More people are having to resort to the food bank in Telford, for a variety of reasons. I pay tribute to the volunteers who work at the food bank. I also say “Well done” to the local authority for funding it, and for recognising its contribution.