'I'd hate to see petrol prices rise' Trudi Keast has always watched the pennies. Now the 40-year-old single mother of sons Matthew, six, and Ben, nine, is having to watch them even more closely. The part-time podiatrist with Gateshead Primary Care Trust, has just seen her weekly working hours cut from 22 to 18 due to Government- enforced NHS changes. And while her drop in hours may not seem a lot, she says it will seriously affect her take-home pay. "I am in receipt of Working Family Tax Credit and, as it's based on what you were paid the previous year, any increase due to my reduced hours won't kick-in until 2007, so I'm going to have to survive for 12 months on reduced income." Trudi's biggest monthly outgoings are her mortgage on her semi-detached home in Tynemouth, North Tyneside, the £150 she spends on petrol getting to and from work, and her heating and lighting. A British Gas customer, she has just seen an extra 22% added to her domestic fuel tariff. Trudi, who separated from her husband in 2001 and divorced in 2003, receives maintenance on top of her WFTC and monthly wage but, with growing boys, has little left to save. "I would hate to see the Chancellor bump up petrol prices or road tax. "I drive a five-year-old Ford Focus but it has an 1800cc engine so it isn't one of the cheapest cars to tax. I may have to look at getting a smaller and cheaper car, but I would need to find the money to do that. "My mortgage is quite small and I'm not thinking of moving, so things like stamp duty don't worry me. "But I am seriously worried about the spiralling domestic fuel costs. "I will be moving supplier but I'm waiting for a few months to see who else puts their prices up before doing so. I would love the Chancellor to force the fuel suppliers to put a cap on prices - or to bring them down. "I would also like to see higher WFTC and child benefit payments. I know I am not as badly off as some single parents, but it's still a struggle. "I'd work more hours if I could and I've been looking to see if I could put in more time at another primary care trust. But I can't afford to jeopardise what I'm doing with Gateshead so it kind of limits my opportunities." Trudi doesn't drink or smoke but would applaud an increase in the price of a packet of cigarettes: "The Chancellor can stick as much as he wants on to a packet if it would stop people smoking, especially for my job as I see a lot of people who are having trouble as a result of it. "And, while I am not well off, I wouldn't be adverse to a small rise of say 1p in income tax - if the money was to be channelled into the NHS and education." | 
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