00:00A campaign for life's little treats, that's a top line from the government's announcement
00:04for a summer of savings. The government say the proposals are designed to help families
00:09facing the cost of living crisis as well as the economic challenges brought on by the
00:14war in Iran.
00:15One of the most notable things we can see from the government's announcement today is
00:19that reduction in VAT. That's going to come into effect from the 25th of June to the 1st
00:23of September and we'll see a reduction from 20% down to 5% on certain children's activities.
00:29Now that includes quite a lot, that's taking out your child for a meal. It's also admissions
00:33tickets, so going places like theme parks, zoos. Although it's not guaranteed, the government
00:38says it'll be down to businesses to pass on those VAT savings to customers in their ticket
00:42prices.
00:43If a child, for instance, wants to go and meet their friends in the high street or maybe
00:48pop to a cafe, that will make it a lot cheaper. Similarly, if you're a parent with a seven-year
00:53-old
00:53and you're looking to go to the cinema or go to a restaurant as well, it makes the equation
00:58a lot more cost-effective to do that. There will be different people out there that will
01:03have different views on whether or not it should be going on this bill or that bill,
01:07but fundamentally, in my view, this is about supporting mums and dads and families to get
01:12them out over the August period.
01:14The other part is the access to free unlimited bus travel for five to 15-year-olds on selected
01:19local bus services in August.
01:22Areva Buses is the main provider out of Chatham bus station here and they told me this morning
01:26that because the announcement was so recent, they couldn't 100% confirm whether the trips
01:31would be free in August. But they did say if the scheme was to go ahead, as Rachel Reyes
01:36proposed, the operators would be likely to support it.
01:39I think what this new announcement will do is make sure that people with young children
01:45are able to get out and about and enjoy everything that Kent's got to offer this summer.
01:49We do need to work really closely with the government and Kent County Council to make sure
01:55that at busy times and in busy places, there are enough buses to get everyone where they
02:01need to be and home again. Because the last thing we want to do is see a sunny Sunday afternoon
02:07in Broadstairs or somewhere where everyone's trying to get on the last bus home and there
02:12isn't enough room for them.
02:13The government is estimated to have spent around £300 million on this bundle of cuts.
02:18But are people in Kent actually going to see a difference to their wallets?
02:22Or if you have children and take buses a lot? Maybe. But we'll have to wait and see on the
02:28rest.
02:29Chloe Brewster for KMTV.
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