Richard Holden, MP for North West Durham, spoke in the budget debate about the March 2020 Budget.
Richard drew attention to coronavirus and the funding that has been announced for the NHS, charities, small and medium businesses, charities and the employment sector as a whole. He pointed out that, in rural areas like North West Durham, people are not always able to work from home, especially if they are in the manufacturing or tourism industries or work on the high streets, so the budget announcements for coronavirus will be of particular importance to his constituents.
Richard also thanked the Government for announcing a full reversal of the motorhomes tax. This tax disproportionately affected North West Durham and was one of the key things that Richard mentioned in his maiden speech, which you can read about (insert link). You can read about Richard’s successful campaign for its reversal here.
Richard also welcomed the extra funding that has been pledged for rural communities to be given access to 4G and high-speed broadband. This will help rural businesses and individuals enormously, especially where homes and businesses are so spread out in North West Durham, and will enable businesses to thrive.
The Chancellor also announced welcome news for buses in the budget – the national bus strategy will look at how to improve bus services in rural areas, which will be especially positive news for Crook, Willington, Tow Law and Weardale, all of which will benefit from an increased bus service, especially late in the evenings and at weekends. More money was invested generally into transport and will enable the constituency to get tied into major transport hubs across the North East and connect to places like Newcastle.
Extra money has also been announced for high streets, as well as the reopening of towns funds – places like Consett and other towns across the constituency will be able to bid for investment into their high streets. You can read about Richard’s work on this here.
Commenting on the budget, Richard stated ‘I was really pleased with the announcements made in this year’s budget. From transport to high street investment to 4G, North West Durham will benefit hugely from the announcements. I was especially pleased that my campaign to get a full reversal of the motorhomes tax was successful – this tax would have seriously damaged our local economy and disproportionately altered businesses and employees in North West Durham. The Government is also taking steps to mitigate the impact of coronavirus, which is good news for the UK as a whole, but also North West Durham, where so many of my constituents run their own businesses or work in the manufacturing and production industries. I look forward to working with the Chancellor and his team over the next few years and will be campaigning hard to ensure that North West Durham receives the investment and funding it deserves’.
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