NOW that some of the post-budget shouting has subsided, we’re able to take a closer look at what it really means.
Since you first elected me as your MP, I’ve made sure that the priorities of Barrow and Furness residents are heard at a national level.
We have seen this Government invest the £200m Barrow Transformation Fund and the £20m Pride in Place funding into our area. We have an additional £22m a year invested to help our local NHS trust bring down waiting times, along with millions more to install solar panels at FGH and make urgent repairs. We are pushing forward, with the help of Team Barrow, for additional investment in transport, housing, health and schools. The Prime Minister has said that our area is the blueprint for growth and regeneration, and he expressly told cabinet ministers that they needed to get behind us.
This week’s budget also shows that Labour ministers have been listening to what ordinary people have been saying. I was pleased to see the measures have been taken to reduce the cost of living, keep record NHS investment, and take control of our public finances.
Many people had raised concerns with me over the levels of child poverty in this country, with more food banks than McDonalds on our streets. I am therefore pleased to see the abolition of the two-child benefit cap which will directly benefit more than 1,600 children from our area. Children growing up in poverty are less likely to work as adults and on average earn 25% less, so not only is it morally right to address it, but it’s also a financially sound argument. It was sickening to hear some people blaming parents for being out of work when we know that 70% of those affected by the 2 child benefit limit are from working families struggling with the cost of living, and millions have been stuck on NHS waiting lists that hit record levels under the last Government. This is a national shame that I am proud we’re fixing!
Great news also arrives in the form of £7m investment for the Alfred Barrow Health Centre in Barrow to expand the number of services that are provided from there, and to be one the first Neighbourhood Health Centres delivered as part of a national roll out.
I have been working hard to bring additional funding for a transformation of our local health services, working with Team Barrow, and this initial investment will form part of those changes which will bring more services closer to local people.
I was delighted to see the budget introducing other measures I’ve campaigned on including increasing tax rates on online gambling firms and getting rid of vehicle excise duty for volunteer search and rescue team vehicles.
We’re making sure the wealthiest pay their share and hundreds locally will benefit from the £900 national living wage increase, £1,500 minimum wage rise for 18-20 year olds and £440/£575 basic and new state pension rises. The permanently lower small business rates will also help us as we work to renew our local highstreets.
I was very pleased to hear the chancellor specifically mention Barrow and Furness in her speech. It shows the focus on our area, and how committed this Government is to delivering the improvements that the people of Barrow and Furness deserve.
It’s clear that after years of neglect and underinvestment, we finally have a government that understands how left behind our areas has been, and is working to turn that around.
