Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram says the Budget marks a reset for the country, and City Council leaders believe it will improve life for families. However business leaders say here's not a huge amount that's positive for our visitor economy sector.
00:00For families and businesses across the Liverpool City region, the Chancellor's budget has brought a mix of anticipation and relief.
00:08The long-awaited statement in the House of Commons sent out economic plans and business leaders here have been quick to respond.
00:14Was it a balanced budget? I think there are some good things.
00:19Clearly there was a lot of measures in the removal of the two-child cap.
00:24The cap, again, a good measure, but that costs money and the money is coming from personal taxation.
00:30Bill Addy, CEO of the Liverpool Business Improvement District, says there's not a huge amount that's positive for our businesses within the visitor economy.
00:38It's a sector which is already struggling locally after the removal of free parking in the evening, which has hit hospitality in particular.
00:45We are seeing that the car parking is causing issues.
00:48We've done a survey of our levy payers and those levy paying businesses are telling us of the impact it's having in Hope Street.
00:55You know, those changes in times, the increase in cost, it's having a significant impact on the businesses.
01:01Metro Mayor Steve Rotherham said the budget felt like, in his words, a reset for the country.
01:05He described it as not flashy, but serious, and the right direction after what he called 14 years of stop-start government and broken promises.
01:13Mr Rotherham also welcomed new powers that could allow mares to introduce overnight levies on hotel stays, sometimes known as a tourist tax.
01:21The concern we have with a tourist tax is, again, we've seen an additional 5% added on.
01:28So that means that any visitor coming into Liverpool to stay will be charged 25%, if you add that to the VAT, a significant sum of money, not a small sum of money.
01:40And there is no guarantee on where that money will be spent.
01:44Liverpool already has a tourist tax administered and managed by Liverpool's accommodation bid.
01:49The funds generated by the charge support major events in the city.
01:52These attract a national and international audience, increased footfall, and the profile of Liverpool, as well as encouraging longer stays and visits to the city.
02:02Civil and structural engineering consultancy Sutcliffe has questioned the 1.5 million home targets set out.
02:08The construction sector is at its lowest level of employment in 24 years.
02:13We're on about 2 million employees, which is traditionally about 10% of the working population, but it's currently, that would make it somewhere in the region of 7 or 8.
02:26We need to build homes.
02:28If we don't build homes, how do we give the children in the future somewhere, a quality home to live, again, giving them life opportunity and life expectancy?
02:36Sean says with the previous budget's rise in employer national insurance and an increase in the national living wage, this represents a significant hit to labour-intensive sectors like construction.
02:47If anybody is on a training programme, having to pay them the higher rate means that you're expected more from them.
02:54And I think it's a factor why small businesses are more reluctant to take somebody on.
02:58I think it's a factor why small businesses are more likely to take somebody on.
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