Redditch voters on money struggles and 2024 general election hope

Chris Clayton, from Ipsley, also worried about cost of living pressures on his autistic son.

“I’d like them to look at disability allowance,” the 55-year-old said. “He can’t work. He’s struggling to pay the bills.”

“The rent’s gone up £40 a month extra. Electric, food, everything’s gone up.”

Pensioner Jean Govier moved to Redditch as a child and said she was forced to rely on her husband’s wage for three years when she first retired.

“I was born the wrong side of the [1950s] so I had to wait until I was 66 to get my pension,” she explained.

She was keen to see state pensions made “more liveable, so you can afford to do more”.

“The minimum wage is more than the state pension at the moment,” she said. “It would be nice if it went up.”