I read the article on the extent of the cost of living crisis in York (‘There is no excuse for this’ - almost 7,500 children living in poverty in York, July 20).

Sadly, this is no surprise. After years of a Conservative/ Lib Dem coalition, then a Conservative government, matters are coming to a head. The cost of housing in York for young people, even on good salaries, is prohibitive, due in part to so many properties being sold to private landlords.

Lower-paid workers cannot afford to live here. Our local authority is actually paying care workers to stay overnight in York because they cannot afford to live here, and the cost of fuel has shot up.

We are short of nurses, teachers and other categories of workers, yet the rich get richer while our city declines. Empty shops, the bad state of our roads, endless queues at the hospital and doctors all tell the same story. Our country is being run into the ground by a group in government who care only for their own wealth. The electorate should wake up and campaign for a competent, forward-looking government.

Sarah Sheils, Heworth, York