A says, “My husband and I both worked full-time before 2008. Now we have one very part-time job and one periodic contract job between us, as it’s all we can get, despite being experienced and qualified in our fields. Our income has fallen by about 70 per cent. Yet Council Tax has almost doubled, and utility, petrol and food costs have risen hugely. We are forced to live cheaply and supplement any shortfall with savings and redundancy payoffs.”