Kent's politicians react to the Autumn Budget

KentOnline / KMTV

Local Democracy Reporter Ollie Leader was in Westminster speaking MPs after the announcement.

Transcript

00:00I call the Chancellor of the Shutter.

00:06It was Labour's second budget and one destined to controversy

00:10after weeks of leaks and speculation.

00:13As you can see the world's media has descended on Westminster

00:17for a very important day in the country's finances.

00:21And while it may be cold, outside Parliament

00:26has a reception to this tax-raising budget

00:30being frosty back in Kent.

00:33I think it's been an absolute horror show of a budget.

00:35I mean I thought Halloween had been and gone but here we are again.

00:38This budget was really designed to help the shirkers and not the workers.

00:44It's the kind of budget that if you're a worker

00:47you're paying more and getting less.

00:49If you look at any budget it's about trying to strike a balance.

00:52I think Rachel Reeves has done a good job with that.

00:55You know she's found additional headroom and capacity

00:58because of the OBR projections.

01:00I'm really clear that actually we've made good progress

01:02but there's of course always more to do.

01:04But what does any of that actually mean now the dust has settled?

01:10Are your taxes going up?

01:12And will your local services see improvements?

01:16First of all minimum wage is going up

01:19meaning if you're over the age of 21

01:22you'll be earning just shy of £26,500 a year from April.

01:28The government hopes this will help slash youth unemployment

01:33potentially plugging gaps in crucial council departments.

01:38We have so many young people out of work, out of education for a long time.

01:43Being at work is good for your health as well.

01:46So increasing the minimum wage is absolutely welcome.

01:50We've got so many jobs in social care sector.

01:53As a chair of APPG I welcome that this can attract more people

01:59to take up the jobs in social care.

02:01But there are fears businesses could be squeezed on staff costs.

02:07And that's despite cuts to business rates for 750,000 properties.

02:14We seem to have this doom loop attitude in the UK

02:18to virtually tax the operation out of existence.

02:22Very high VAT rates, high labour rates, high excise rates

02:27all kinds of regulation that doesn't exist in other markets.

02:31And now we've got a tourism tax coming in

02:34at the discretion of local mayors.

02:36And we've got the, we're still reeling

02:38for the very high national insurance taxes

02:42which particularly hit retail and hospitality this time last year.

02:46So my converse to that is by giving people a wage increase

02:50certainly minimum wage increase

02:51that have more money to spend in the high streets

02:54because they are getting more money into their pockets.

02:56So, and what we're doing is rebalancing businesses

03:01and taxation around businesses.

03:03So small and medium sized businesses like those cafes

03:05will get a benefit from this budget.

03:08Then we have the big one.

03:10The two child benefit cap has been scrapped

03:13meaning that families on the poverty line

03:16with three or more children could receive additional support.

03:21It's going to mean that 3,000 children in Gravesham

03:25are now going to be lifted out of poverty.

03:27I mean that is just in one foul swoop, one signature can do that.

03:33I mean that's incredible and this is why I came into politics

03:36to do things like this.

03:38But there are those that say this should have happened much sooner.

03:43I understand, everyone understands that the government were struggling financially

03:48but you know all of the charities like Child Poverty Action Group

03:52have been telling us for a long time

03:54and my local food bank who I work with closely

03:57have been saying it's the number one driver of poverty

04:00and you know we had to do our absolute best to get rid of it.

04:04And all of that doesn't even touch on gambling taxes that could raise a billion pounds

04:10or the government extending the freeze on tax bans.

04:14That means as inflation and wages go up

04:17more working people will end up being taxed at a higher rate.

04:23It's a bumper budget but the winners and losers might not be quite as clear-cut

04:28as the government or the opposition makes out.

04:33Oli Luda in Westminster.

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