North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has welcomed today’s UK Conservative Government budget, which will deliver growth and prosperity for families and businesses in the region.
The Budget for Growth focusses on the Chancellor’s four pillars of Enterprise, Employment, Education and Everywhere:
- Extending 30 hours of childcare a week to all working parents of children aged 9 months to 4 years
- Paying Universal Credit childcare costs up front rather than in arrears
- Introducing reforms to the childcare sector including changes to 2-year-old staff: child ratios from 1:4 to 1:5
- Introducing a £25 billion three-year tax cut for business investment
- Increasing the annual pension allowance to £60,000 and abolishing the Lifetime Allowance
- Establishing a new Universal Support programme for disabled people and the long-term sick
- Abolishing the Work Capability Assessment and increasing the Administrative Earning Threshold to 18 hours
- Extending the Energy Price Guarantee at £2,500 for three months
- Freezing fuel duty for a thirteenth year, saving the average driver around £200
- Delivering a Brexit Pub Guarantee so draught duty will always be less than duty in supermarkets
Mr Isherwood said:
“I welcome today’s budget which includes measures which will benefit people across North Wales.
“The action to tackle the cost of living will continue, with additional support for those on low incomes and pensioners.
“Free childcare for working parents in England is being expanded to cover one and two-year-olds.
“Wales is to receive an extra £180m. The Welsh Government must therefore now get on with the job of using the levers at its disposal to support parents here and generally improve the lives of all people across Wales.”
