Voters have spoken of their disillusionment with politics six months after the general election.
BBC Politics East returned to voters who had talked to the programme before the election and sought out the opinions of local people.
Events manager Rose Steward, from Norwich, and University of East Anglia student Jamie Bryson said they were looking to see more progress from the new Labour government.
Lowestoft's Labour MP Jess Asato said the government was dealing with "14 years of concerted mismanagement".
Ms Steward, 29, who is getting married this year, said she was feeling a certain amount of disillusionment with politics.
"When I look to the future and think about things like family and the future generation, talking from a climate perspective I don't have massive amounts of optimism," she said.
Asked how long it would take for her to see improvements, she said: "I think this is years of work and I'm not sure that, no matter how much time you give them, whether or not we are going to see the changes that they are promising.
"I'd like to see them spending the money more wisely."
She added: "The other big concern I have is the approach they are having to tax, where it still doesn't seem to be hitting the people they claim to be targeting."
Ms Steward said the middle incomes earners were "the people that always seem to be the losers and once again these people are being penalised by the new taxes being brought in".
Mr Bryson, 26, who is studying politics, said: "I feel as though politics is very much treading water in this country at the moment.
"I appreciate that this government has inherited an awful situation, but for me, that argument only goes so far."
He added: "Universities are on their knees. I'm grateful they're introducing the increased maintenance grants next year, but a lot of students need that right now."
Andrew Sadler, 58, a care worker from Besthorpe, near Attleborough, Norfolk, contacted BBC Politics East to say he would be more impressed with politicians if they properly grappled with the issue of social care.
Mr Sadler, who voted Labour for the first time last year, welcomed the setting up of a social care inquiry, but thought it should report before 2028.
"They just need to pay social care workers a bit more money," he said.
"Our pay needs to improve under Labour, social care is struggling as no-one wants to do do it for such low pay. Please pay us properly. Supermarket workers earn more."
Long-time Conservative voter Isabel Edwards, 70, from Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, said: "Within the first few weeks of Labour, Rachel Reeves (the chancellor) removed winter fuel payment for pensioners not on means tested benefits.
"With the recent cold snap I am terrified of putting heating on."
Asato, appearing on BBC Politics East on Sunday, said: "We were honest with the public in the run-up to the election.
"We said we wanted to get away from sticking plaster politics, that reforming our country, after 14 years of concerted mismanagement and cuts, will not happen overnight.
"We are in the business of changing the country, but it will be for the long term.
"We have taken steps already that will benefit young people.
"For example we've had the largest increase in the minimum wage for 18 to 20 year olds."
She added: "We've also be getting on with our pledge on housebuilding because we know many young people aren't getting on to the housing ladder."
Jerome Mayhew, Conservative MP for Broadland and Fakenham, said: "I feel sorry for Jess because she stood on a manifesto which said it had a fully costed plans… and Labour came in and raised taxes."
Asato said Labour had been left a £22bn black hole, but this was disputed by Mayhew, who said the Conservatives had left an economy that was the fastest growing among the G7 nations.
Ian Sollom, the Lib Dem MP for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire, said although he had criticisms of the Labour government he supported its Children's Wellbeing Bill, which passed its first parliamentary hurdle this week.
BBC Politics East will be broadcast on Sunday 12 January at 10:00 GMT on BBC One in the East of England, and will be available after broadcast on BBC iPlayer.
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