As the Conservative Candidate for Mid-Cheshire, I welcomed the spring budget as we stick to the plan to cut taxes for working people and support businesses in Northwich, Winsford and Middlewich.
This Budget delivers for working families by cutting taxes for working people by £900 each year for those on an average salary of £35,400, rewarding hard work.The Conservatives are also investing more funding for the NHS, improving maternity care and cutting waiting lists. What’s more, by raising the amount and reducing the rate at which child benefit is withdrawn, we are saving families £1,260, helping with the cost of childcare.
But we also know the obstacles that many women face when returning back to the work place after having children. That is why we have introduced shared parental leave and delivered the most significant expansion of childcare in a decade–doubling free childcare.
Thanks to Conservative led tax cuts, and to above-inflation increases to tax thresholds since 2010, an average worker in 2024-25 will pay over £1,600 less in personal taxes than they otherwise would have done
We are taking thousands of businesses out of paying VAT by increasing the VAT threshold for small businesses,creating jobs and growing the economy.
We are delivering investment through the Local Transport Fund, transforming transport in the North West including in both Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester.
The Conservative Government has made sure to protect pensioners since 2010 as part of our long-term plan to deliver a brighter future for Britain, and so I wanted to update you on some of the progress we have made to ensure that people who have worked hard all their lives have the dignity they deserve in retirement. We will always protect pensioners which is why, at the Spring Budget, we are sticking with the plan to deliver a £6 billion investment in the NHS, cutting waiting lists and improve maternity care. We are also cutting Capital Gains Tax by four per cent, reducing costs for those selling a home, and we are freezing fuel duty and keeping the five pence cut, saving you money on your fuel.
This builds on our strong track record since coming into government in 2010. We were proud to introduce the Triple Lock in 2011 which has seen the State Pension rise by over £3,700 since 2010–well above the rate of inflation during this same period. Last year, the State Pension increased by 10.1 percent–the largest in the history of the State Pensions–and will increase by a further 8.5 per cent in April 2024, taking the new State
Pension to over £11,500 a year.We are also delivering essential cost of living support, as we know that high inflation driven by the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are hurting pensioners across the country, including in Mid Cheshire.
Around 11.9 million Winter Fuel Payments and Pensioner Cost of Living Payments were made to pensioners across the UK in December 2023, worth more than £4.8 billion, providing up to £600 to help with energy bills and household budgets during the colder months. We also over delivered on our promise to halve inflation last year, which is the best way to put more money in the pockets of hard-working people.
For pensioners on the lowest incomes, we have also been driving up applications for Pension Credit, to unlock support of up to £3,300 for the most vulnerable. Following our campaign, 73 per cent more pensioners applied for Pension Credit in February 2023 compared with February 2022 and we are continuing to push for a higher uptake to older people claim the support they are entitled to.
The Conservative Government are sticking to the plan to look after pensioners who worked hard all their lives,ensuring they have dignity and security in their retirement and building a brighter future for everyone in our country. Labour can’t say what they would do, because they don’t have a plan, which means nothing will get better–taking us back to square one.
The Conservative Government is providing £168 million of financial support for farmers, delivering its plan for sustainable farming and matching EU funding but we must go further to deliver a secure future for British farming.This Budget delivers for farmers by cutting taxes for working people, saving the average self employed person £650. We have also frozen fuel duty and maintained the five pence cut, saving you money on fuel.
We are putting farmers at the heart of the plan to grow the economy through the Sustainable Farming Incentive,as we continue to support the Buy Local campaign, encouraging everyone to support our farmers and food producers to boost rural jobs.
We are also taking tough action on rural crime and issues that affect farmers every day. That is why the Government is supporting a Bill introduced by a Conservative MP to address the issue of livestock worrying,which I know can cause huge distress to animals and costs farmers and rural communities.
In stark contrast to the Conservative Government’s steadfast commitment to our farming community, we all know that a Labour government would be a disaster for UK farming. We have already seen the effect that the Labour-run Welsh Government’s plans are going to have on farming in Wales, putting 5,500 jobs at risk. That is why I am we have to stick to the Conservative Government’s plan for farming and not let Labour take us back to square one
I am always here to listen to local people so if there is anything you would like to discuss with me – on support for working families, businesses, older people, farming or any other issue – please do get in touch with me at [email protected]
