Budget will lift Britain from hardship, Stourbridge MP says

Both Stourbridge and Brierley Hill were given shout outs in Parliament in yesterday's Budget speech by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in which she pledged funds for schools affected by RAAC and to extend the Metro to Brierley Hill, alongside a raft of expected tax hikes set to come into effect in April 2025.

Labour’s Cat Eccles has given her thoughts on her party’s first Budget since 2010, which included pledges to fix the NHS and reform public services, a freeze on alcohol and fuel duties, alongside an increase in the Living Wage to £12.21 per hour for over 21s (£10 for 18 to 20-year-olds), a state pension rise of 4.1 per cent and a 1.2 per cent increase in NI contributions paid by employers.

Cat said: “The Chancellor faced a challenging task of raising £40 billion to address the nation's financial deficit. This Budget marks the start of efforts to lift Britain out of economic hardship, and its impact will be felt by the people of Stourbridge.

“One key commitment is to maintain the triple lock on pensions, which will result in an increase of up to £470 in the coming year. This reassurance is welcomed by pensioners who have expressed concerns about their future. Over the course of this Parliament, pensions are set to rise by around £1,700.

“The Budget also includes promising changes to tax and spending policies. Carer’s Allowance will increase, the freeze on income tax thresholds will end in 2028, aligning them with inflation, and fuel duty will remain frozen. Additionally, over 800,000 small businesses will be spared from national insurance contributions.

“Stourbridge was notably mentioned twice by the Chancellor, with £1.4 billion pledged for rebuilding 500 schools in urgent need of repair. Stourbridge is set to benefit, along with an extension of the West Midlands Metro line into Brierley Hill, backed by new funding.”

She urged anyone with any questions about the Budget and its impact to get in touch by contacting her office.

Meanwhile, Kingswinford and South Staffordshire MP Mike Wood has described the Budget as “bad for working people”.

The Conservative MP said: "As the OBR report makes clear, this Budget will mean lower growth, lower wages and more Government borrowing.

"It's bad for working people who will get lower pay rises because of the National Insurance contribution rises, bad for small business - and particularly pubs, cafes and small restaurants - and bad for rural communities, who will suffer when family farms are broken up because of the Chancellor's tax raid."

Former Stourbridge MP Suzanne Webb has described the Budget as a “disaster”.

She said: "This Budget reveals the simple truth that the Prime Minister and Chancellor have not been straight with the British people, nor has your new Labour MP. The budget is a disaster. High tax and high spend. Taxes are increasing by £40 billion and borrowing circa £70 billion. We knew the budget would be bad, but not this bad.

"Labour told us they had no plans to raise taxes more than 50 times during the election. But they have just broken that promise and not been honest. Taxes are going up and borrowing going up.

"I am deeply concerned about the minimum wage rise and the NI tax rise. The impact of this is significant on businesses across the constituency. The cost of employing someone on the minimum wage just went up by circa 10 per cent. It will have a serious impact on businesses and being able to employ people. Not forgetting bus fares up by 50 per cent to £3.00 This is a high spend budget with nothing to pay for it. The hospitality rate relief down from 75 per cent to 40 per cent, is brutal. The burden of this budget’s tax rises falls firmly on the shoulders of businesses and hardworking people.

"Was it really necessary to axe the winter fuel payment when it will raise only £1.5 billion in taxes?

"The impact on consumer and business confidence needs now to be closely monitored as to the real-world impact of the scale of this budget."