On Monday morning I was both excited and proud to be able to attend an in person meeting with my local MP accompanied by a team member from CPAG. This was a continuing part of the London lobby day earlier this year.

We took along with us a copy of the zine booklet and some other information about the Changing Realities programme, along with some local child poverty statistics for the area I live in provided by CPAG. In my mind he showed a good interest in the situation that families face.

He also has clear thoughts on what the Liberal Democrats would like to help change, for example, Free School Meals for all school age children and an end to the child benefit cap.

There were also longer term changes that he would like to push for including social tarifs for utility bills. I hope that with all of our efforts being involved in Changing Realities can help bring around change for families living on a low income. Every single MP or member of this government should be looking at the work we are all doing together to help bring about this change without delay. So hopefully all is not yet lost.

There was a story on my internet homepage this morning stating that an MP had said you can tell why people are obese by what is in their shopping trolley. If the government were to give people on a low income a bit more money we could buy healthier food and look after ourselves better, which would mean a saving for the health service.

I used to plan for the future a lot, especially when I was younger and had the optimism of youth.

However, to be honest, as time has gone by, and I've seen how sometimes the people we look up to in society, like some of our politicians, break some of the promises that they make to us, I became less optimistic, and now just take each day as it comes, and hence now, very rarely plan for the future, because too much can change by then, especially as our world has becone more and more volitile.

It’s been a busy month, I was part of the london lobby day and it was fabulous to have the opportunity to speak with my local MP. My MP was very oblivious and seemed to not really grasp what was being asked or (more likely) trying to swerve the questions put to her but i am persistent and as a mother of boys whom regularly try to swerve questions I put on a polite smile and reworded many times until my MP got what was being asked.

Just sent my letter to the MP, let’s hope we can make a difference. Support is desperately needed.

I would like to ask my local MP to lobby or campaign to government for more housing who were in the housing waiting list for more than expected. Build houses and rehouse people from waiting list and then provide opportunity for employment and other support.

I would like to ask the MPs what they really think and how they think they could help people in certain circumstances.

What would they do if they’d fallen on hard times?! How would they cope?

Thanks so much for this bug question. I'll like to tell them to please look into the eligibility criteria of a lot of supports in the UK. People with NRPF are really suffering with this.

What evidence and lived experience have you more personally immersed your understanding, experience of the truth of poverty for the working general public and that who are trapped in the benign system as there's no support to become off benefits?

Have you been judging the public via fake narastic media stereotyping exposure to influence your policy's, aids and support framework?

It seem you have and how to do plan to fix the UKs and people in power judgment and stereotypical influence to better the support such as getting off benefits for single parents, people who need flexible working patterns throught the means of disability act inclusion and equity. We should not have to fight for our rights, be trapped in benefits when the people in power (you) say we can come off them thought the jobcentre framework that only fits for old fashioned stereotypical un-educated and possible neglected family's.

How do you plan to stop the increasing needs of unofficial food banks and offical food banks etc?

Where is your empathy and care for the wellbeing and future of the UK and the child of our next future UK?

Question for MP's

Why were businesses receiving grants of up to £2000 in lockdowns whilst children in single parent families whose ( mostly fathers) are business owners, received nothing?

The DWP workers were taken off caseloads of the Child Maintenance Service to trace non payers of Maintenance, to process Universal Credit.

My ex husband already had savings and investments, lives in a luxury house, top of range car etc... boasted he received 3 payments of £2000 in lockdowns.

The Child Maintenance Service informed me these grants were not to be used in calculating his income in lockdowns.

My daughter had no financial support throughout lockdowns from her father and I had to use foodbanks. As we became homeless due to private landlord selling up the flat, my ex husband thrived, and still does as he takes advantage of tax and child maintenance loopholes.

Where to begin really. I would like to see them walk a mile in my shoes. Just to see how hard it is sometimes, just keeping afloat. The squeeze just keeps getting tighter and tighter. Life feels hard and overwhelmed at times.

I would like them to see how it is.

I don't have any specific question but I really hope that they MPs that CR participants go to meet are able to give open and honest answers to questions put to them. The MP for my area, only responds to me in the most obscure, waffling non specific way, never giving any detail and never actually answers any question nor seems to take action on anything. MPs are known for avoiding questions, they can't give a straight or honest answer to anything so I don't have any question for any of them because I have heard enough platitudes and generic responses to last a lifetime.