People living and working across Warrington will benefit from the Budget as the Conservatives deliver on the promises made to the British people; investment in infrastructure, the NHS and public services across the region.
The plans outlined by Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, will get things done and provide security for now while laying the foundation for prosperity in the future.
The Budget marks the start of record level of investment in the people’s priorities - infrastructure, the NHS and public services – to ensure the promises from the General Election in December are kept and the potential of every part of the United Kingdom, including the North West, is unleashed.
Increases in the National Insurance threshold and the National Living Wage announced today will mean families keep more of the money they earn. Thanks to the measures taken today, someone working full-time on the minimum wage in the North West will be over £5,200 better off compared to ten years ago when the Conservatives’ came into office.
Tens of millions of pounds of investment in the region’s roads, rail, housing and broadband to ensure everyone can have the same chances and opportunities in life wherever they live.
Conservative MP for Warrington South, Andy Carter, said today’s Budget proves this Government is ‘getting things done’ for thousands of families and businesses across his constituency.
Today’s announcements for the North West include:
- Creating a £4.2 billion Local Public Transport Fund for combined authority areas to dramatically improve bus and train services in their areas. We will grant £4.2 billion devolved capital funding to the eight combined authority areas, allowing their elected leaders to invest in dramatically improving local train and bus services. Starting in 2022-23, we will improve intra-city transport for Greater Manchester and Liverpool, building on their existing devolved Transforming Cities Fund allocations.
- Putting more money in peoples’ pockets with an over £200 tax cut for the typical family. We will increase the National Insurance threshold to £9,500 this April, benefiting 31 million people with a typical employee saving over £100 in 2020 – the first step to reaching our ambition to increase the threshold to £12,500.
- Increasing the National Living Wage to boost the wages of the lowest paid. The National Living Wage will increase by 6.2 per cent to £8.72 from April. The Budget commits to a new ambitious target for the National Living Wage to end low pay and extend this to workers aged 21 and over by 2024.
- Delivering £66 million in additional funding for local road maintenance. The North West will receive £66 million for local road maintenance through the Potholes Fund in 2020-21.
- Bringing more brownfield land into use with a new £400 million Brownfield Housing Fund. Pro-development councils and ambitious Mayoral Combined Authorities will be able to bid into this fund enabling them to create more homes.
- Increasing Business Rates retail discount to 100% for one year and expanding it to leisure and hospitality sectors, and the introduction of a £5,000 rates discount for pubs. Taken together with existing Small Business Rates Relief an estimated 900,000 properties, or 45% of all properties in England, will receive 100% business rates relief in 2020/2021.
- We will provide an additional £2.2 billion funding for Local Authorities to support small business that pay little or no Business Rates because of Small Business Rates Relief.
Commenting, Andy Carter MP said:
“Last year’s election gave a clear verdict. Now the people’s Government has delivered a Budget which fulfils on our promises to the British people – it is a Budget of a government that gets things done.
“Investment will reach record levels over the next five years; as we are committed to levelling up across the country – benefitting families and businesses in all corners of the country including Warrington South.
“I am delighted that we have set out measures to support families and help them with the cost of living, while continuing to invest in Britain’s future responsibly – laying the foundations for a decade of growth and prosperity.
“In particular, I welcome the Chancellor’s abolition of business rates for this year and the introduction of more small business grant funding, helping thousands of hard-working companies across the country. Warrington is a great place to have a business, and I’m encouraging more SMEs to set up shop here so that we can see our high streets and communities thrive.
“This is the first Budget delivered outside of the EU for more than five decades. It sets out a clear, one nation, path for the Government to get things done.”
