Even if austerity is ‘over’, it will be a long road to prosperity for Wigan

We ask residents and local politicians in Lancashire whether Theresa May's proclamation offers much hope for better times

The shoppers are out in force at the start of half-term in Wigan. The autumn sun is low in the sky and the drizzle that can drench south Lancashire - the kind that made the air here perfect for spinning cotton a century ago - has stopped.

For a town that is among the hardest-hit by council budget cuts, according to a recent Cambridge University study, there is little evidence of austerity on a day like today. The town appears to be doing well, despite some derelict buildings among the bars and nightclubs on King Street, the complaints over the three-weekly bin collections, and the decrepit state of the often-delayed trains to Manchester.

Working poor is an amazing thing to say in this day and age. If you work you shouldn't have to be poor, but people are

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