'I'm living hand to mouth... they don't care about people like us': What people at Harpurhey Market think about Rishi Sunak's Spring Statement

It's secondhand market day in Harpurhey and Lauren O'Rourke is pushing her young son across the precinct in his buggy. The stay-at-home mum, 27, says she budgets fastidiously, but she's still finding it hard to make ends meet.

"I'm on Universal Credit, but there used to be about £200 leftover at the end of the month, now I'm lucky if there's £20," she says.

"I plan and budget for everything. I know when I go shopping exactly how much it's going to cost down to the last penny. I used to be able to do a fortnight of teas for a family of four for somewhere between £14 and £20. That's planning everything and not wasting anything. Now I'm lucky if I can get a week's worth of teas with cheap ingredients for £25. And that's really budgeting. It's awful."

Read more: The 70p a head budget family meal from Aldi that even the kids lapped up

A Jeremy Corbyn supporter, Lauren admits she wasn't expecting much help for people in deprived areas like Harpurhey from the Chancellor's spring budget this week. But she described measures such as raising the National Insurance threshold, which won't benefit the poorest in society, when the cost of essentials such as food and energy are soaring as 'pathetic'.

"You have to love the way they put petrol down by 5p when it's going up that much every week," she said. "They're not doing enough. They don't care about people like us. All they care about is their mates and staying in power."

Former solider and paramedic Derek Hannah, 70, lives alone in a one bed flat in Harpurhey.

He says he's being treated for prostrate cancer which has spread to his left kidney, and admits the energy price increases are hitting him hard.

"Every time I have a spare few quid I save it to put on my gas card," he