Yesterday, the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced the Budget which includes further support for families, employment, businesses, and investment.
The Government is committed to halving inflation, growing the economy, reducing debt, and ensuring there continues to be strong encouragement of job creation in the UK.
Julian welcomes the decision to extend the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) past March 2023. This means the Government will maintain the EPG at the current level, £2,500 per year for the typical household for three additional months up to June 2023. Importantly, the Government will ensure the premium on those who use prepayment meters ends and ensure those who do not have a usual domestic energy contract are supported.
Businesses will also be protected by the Energy Bills Discount Scheme which will provide all eligible businesses and other non-domestic energy users across the UK with a discount on high energy bills until 31 March 2024. It will also provide businesses in sectors with particularly high levels of energy use and trade intensity with a higher level of support.
To further support households and businesses with the rise in the cost of living, fuel duty for a thirteenth consecutive year will be frozen, saving the average driver around £200, for the next 12 months.
Julian is pleased to see measures to help our local pubs, the announcement of Draught Relief in the budget will benefit 3,770 pubs and bars across the Yorkshire and the Humber, helping with their higher costs.
Julian understands the importance of local leisure facilities; therefore, he welcomes that the Government is providing a £60 million Swimming Pool Support Fund. This will help relieve the immediate challenges faced by the leisure industry, by reducing cost-pressure as well as providing investment in energy efficiency measures to reform facilities.
The chancellor has committed to maintaining and improving local roads and potholes, which will improve journeys for motorists. Awarding £20.8 million to fix potholes across Yorkshire and the Humber, funding enough to fix the equivalent of 415,000 potholes.
There was also good news in the form of childcare reform, through the introduction of 30 free hours of childcare per week for children from 9 months to 4 years, worth £6,500 per year per child from 2025. This will be boosted by market reforms to the childcare sector allowing providers to offer more flexibility. This will support parents and allow them to take up more work.
Steps have been taken to retain the number of doctors remaining in the NHS, through increasing the annual pension allowance to £60,000 and abolishing of the Lifetime Allowance. This will encourage older, more experienced workers to stay in work for longer.
Julian continues to pay close attention to concerns raised by constituents and businesses across Skipton, Ripon and beyond, and continues to represent these to the highest levels of Government. If you want to raise an issue or book a surgery appointment please email or call the office, including the details of the matters you wish to raise.
