My response to the Autumn Budget
Labour is the party for working people and the Chancellor’s budget today confirmed that.
Thousands of people in Blackpool South are set to receive a 6.7% pay rise while apprentices and young people could see their wages increase by 16.3%. This rise in the national living wage is a huge boost for young people in Blackpool who too often face barriers to opportunity and well paid work.
Rachel Reeves made clear our commitment to rebuilding public services while honouring our manifesto pledge not to increase taxes on working people. And she emphasised there would be no return to the long years of Conservative austerity.
The £25.6 billion the Chancellor committed to rebuild our NHS is welcome in Blackpool where we have some of the worst physical and mental health outcomes in the country. Alongside funding for extra appointments and surgical hubs, additional clinicians are being sent to Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, allowing more patients to be treated efficiently while ensuring our NHS is fit for a bright future.
The crackdown on shoplifting announced in the budget is great news for businesses. Local shop owners here have told me how petty theft is at an all time high and greatly harms their business. The support for frontline policing levels meanwhile will allow everyone in our communities to be safer.
As chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tourism and Hospitality, and as MP for a town built on tourism, I welcome the lower level of business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure. This move opens up more opportunity for jobs and investment in Blackpool and is great news for locals and visitors alike.
I’m thrilled that the budget has also confirmed a £15.4 million investment in Blackpool town centre to improve traffic flow, access to public transport, and infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians.
And I for one will be toasting the Chancellor’s recognition of one of our greatest institutions and network of community hubs – the British pub, where Labour has knocked a penny off a pint.
