This time of year with Christmas kind of making me feel like a bit of a failed mother.

Look. Revs Carla and her baby son Remy have been living on her parents'sofa for a year. She can't afford to rent privately, even though she works and will make a saving on National Insurance.

We was looking at private renting as it was one of our options and it was still 1000 pounds a month just for the rent.

Just the rent, yeah. And before we even think about energy bills and is that just completely out of reach?

Yeah, definitely. Especially being a part time single mom.

The Chancellor is hoping areas like this hear loud and clear that tax cuts are coming.

The measures announced today will put money in some people's pockets. But here in Dudley South, a target seat for labor. Whether it's families or those who run a business, people are telling us the struggle with the cost of living has never been harder.

Self employed traders will also get a national insurance cut, but say footfall is down and overheads soaring.

When we started this company about ten years ago, our energy costs were about 15% of our rent costs, but now we're approaching the 70% mark. Now, if that's not an elephant in the garden, I don't know what is.

Everything. Everything's gone up. The big stores can manage, but people like us, we struggle.

So I'm glad I'm at the age I am and where I am because I would never start out in butchery again, never ever. It's just too tough to run your own business now. If you was just starting out now, you wouldn't survive.

Better news for the elderly, the state pension will get a 17 pounds a week increase next year.

Will it help you a bit?

Well, it'll help, but virtually against the price of the bills, it's going to be nothing, is it, to drop in the ocean?

It's a government trying to signal their are better times ahead, but hard pressed families wondering if it all adds up tomorrow. Cohen, Sky News, Dudley.