I am very disappointed about what has happened. I know from the many conversations I have had with constituents here in Bury, Ramsbottom and Tottington on the doorsteps and the letters and emails sent to me, that many people share these concerns. However, I also have to consider what the country as a whole needs now in the face of rising costs of living and a precarious international situation.
I think the responsible thing to do then is to continue to support this government in tackling these problems. I can assure you, rightly, that the Government’s focus is and always will be to deliver on the priorities of the British people: strengthening our economy, creating jobs and levelling up the whole United Kingdom.
Supporting Ukraine’s continued resistance to Putin’s barbaric invasion, as President Zelensky said: ‘The leadership of the United Kingdom, in providing our country with all the necessary assistance in terms of defence, as well as leadership in sanctions policy, will go down in history forever.’
The trust of the British people in our democracy is very important. That is why this Government is committed to repaying that trust by levelling up and uniting our country.
The UK left the EU with a deal in January 2020, and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, signed in December 2020, ensured there are no tariffs or quotas for trade in goods between the UK and the EU. Record investment in the NHS, with the Spending Review 2021 committing to a £43.9 billion funding uplift for the Department for Health and Social Care.
More than 11,000 police officers have been recruited, over halfway to the target of 20,000. £14.4 billion was invested in education in 2019, the biggest investment in a decade and a further £4.7 billion was committed in the Spending Review 2021. This translates to a total cash increase of £1,500 per pupil by 2024-25. The Government is providing a total of over £37 Billion of support to help families with the cost of living. This forms part of our plan for a stronger economy – creating jobs, cutting taxes on working people, reducing borrowing and debt, driving businesses to invest and innovate, unleashing a skills revolution, seizing the benefits of Brexit, and levelling up growth throughout the UK.
The Government has put forward a support package to help both lower and middle income earners with the cost of living increases caused by the Pandemic and war in Ukraine. This includes a £400 grant for energy bills for all which the Chancellor has not only recently doubled, but he has also cancelled the clawback mechanism meaning this will not have to be repaid.
Further, a non-repayable £150 cash rebate is being provided for homes in Council Tax bands A-D, equivalent to 80 per cent of all households and £144 million of discretionary funding for local authorities to support those not eligible for the council tax rebate. This means that hard working families will receive £550 with lower income families receiving even more help.
A £650 one-off cost of living payment for those on means tested benefits such as Universal Credit, job seekers allowance and pension credit.
A £300 one-off pensioner cost of living payment for pensioners in receipt of the Winter Fuel Allowance.
A £150 one-off disability cost of living payment for people in receipt of disability benefits.
It was announced in the Spring Statement that fuel duty will be cut by 5 pence for a full year, across all fuel duty rates.
The National Living Wage has increased by 6.6 per cent from £8.91 in 2021 to £9.50. Someone working full time on the Living Wage will see their earnings increase by £1,000 this year. The Government has cut the Universal Credit taper rate and increased work allowances - which represent an effective tax cut for low income working households in receipt of UC worth £2.2 billion in 2022-23.
The National Insurance personal threshold will rise from £9,500 to £12,570 in July 2022. This is a £330 tax cut for 30 million people, equivalent to a £6 billion tax cut. Alongside the Spring Statement, the Chancellor also set out his future tax plan. The Plan will see the first income tax cut in sixteen years. By 2024, the basic rate of income tax will be cut to 19 pence, a tax cut worth £5 billion for over 30 million workers.
The Household Support Fund was put in place in October 2021 to help households over the winter. It originally had funding of £500 million. In the 2022 Spring Statement, the Chancellor announced the extension of the Fund, with an additional £500 million to help 3-4 million vulnerable households. The Chancellor has now extended the HSF to March 2023 with an additional £500 million, taking total funding to £1.5 billion. Bury will receive £1.5 Million of this to help the most vulnerable in our Borough.
I assure you I will continue to build on the success I have had in obtaining over £200 Million in support for the Borough of Bury from the Government and I hope you will support me in this. Here in Bury, £20 million has been secured from the Government to support regeneration by redeveloping Bury Market and the wider Town Centre. £80 million for a new interchange and upgrades to the Metrolink network.
£1 million matched funding to secure and preserve Gigg Lane, an iconic part of our town’s cultural life, for the Community.
£7 million for Bury College to create a STEM Hub, allowing the College to obtain Institute of Technology status. As well as a new High School for Radcliffe and £20 Million levelling up funding for the town.
In my view, the Government must get on with the job at hand, and I will continue to hold them to account in delivering on these key priorities for the people of Bury, Ramsbottom and Tottington.
