Penrith and The Border MP, Dr Neil Hudson has praised the wide-ranging set of measures included in the Budget.
The National Living Wage will increase to £9.50 an hour from April next year. This means worker above 23 years old will receive a 6.6% payrise and is key to supporting younger and lower income workers are being supported.
The NHS will receive a £5.9bn cash boost at this crucial time. The government is delivering on its commitment to provide the necessary investment to ensure that people are receiving the care and treatment they need. Included in this funding is an expansion of diagnostic services and spending on improving the digital technology within the NHS.
Dr Hudson commented:
“It was great to see the government turn words into action by delivering on our promise to fund the NHS and build a higher wage economy. Our brilliant NHS staff worked extremely hard to keep people safe during the pandemic and these funding measures will help keep the service fit for use.
The National living wage is vitally important to low paid workers all over the country. We want hard work to pay off. This budget helps working families with the cost of living. Businesses will also benefit from new measures, including a 50 per cent cut in business rates next year for 90 per cent of retail, hospitality and leisure – alongside a freeze of all rates – the creation of new business rates relief to encourage green technologies and improvements to properties, and a doubling of creative industries tax reliefs for the UK’s world-leading theatres, orchestras, museums and galleries.
Overall this is budget will hopefully mark a turning point when we can steer the economy back to sunnier waters and start to build for the future.”
Commenting, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said:
“One year ago, this country was in the grip of the biggest recession in 300 years. Thanks to our Plan For Jobs, we are today recovering faster than our major competitors, more people are in work, and growth is up. But uncertainty in the global economy means that recovery is now under threat.
“That is why this Budget and Spending Review delivers a stronger economy for the British people – strengthening our public finances, helping working families meet the cost of living, supporting businesses, delivering stronger public services, and driving economic growth.
“This is a Budget which will level up every part of the United Kingdom. It is a Budget which provides the foundations for a stronger economy.”
