THE area’s MP has slammed the government for doing ‘very little’ for rural communities and failing to ‘put a lid’ on the ‘explosion’ of second homes in the Lakes.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson used the Queen’s Speech - delivered for the first time by the Prince of Wales - to set out plans for changes to create a "high-wage, high-skill" economy, but there was no immediate extra help for households facing spiralling costs with inflation set to hit a 40-year high later in 2022.

Read more: Historic State Opening of Parliament sees Charles deliver Queen’s Speech

With the war in Ukraine raging, the Government's programme also included a series of measures to give the security services extra powers to tackle foreign spies and efforts to influence British democracy.

The package also contained a series of measures to give local authorities more powers, including the ability to double council tax on unused second homes.

With soaring energy bills, inflation forecast to hit 10 per cent and benefits and wages failing to keep up with rising prices, the cost of living is set to dominate domestic politics in the coming months.

The Government highlighted the £22 billion package of help with energy bills, tax cuts and other measures already announced and hinted at further support in future.

But its focus is on generating economic growth to help address the issues rather than increasing state support, with the public finances already battered by the billions borrowed to address the pandemic.

MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale Tim Farron expressed his frustration at the bills announced in the speech.

“The Government’s Queen's Speech sadly does very little for rural communities like ours,” he said.

“There was nothing in there to immediately help families through the cost of living crisis.

“There was nothing to support farmers who are seeing their payments cut and are on the brink of collapsing.

“There was nothing to tackle the enormously long cancer waiting times that we are experiencing here in the South Lakes.

“The measures to allow councils increase council tax on second homes, while welcome, don’t go anywhere near enough to put a lid on the explosion of second homes and holiday lets that are stopping many local families from being able to afford a home of their own.”