'Uneventful' budget draws mixed reaction

**'Uneventful' budget draws mixed reaction**

Harry Delves, who runs Tuffins Supermarket in Craven Arms, said the Budget announcements did not include any major changes for him.

A pledge to protect households from some cost-of-living pressures was at the heart of John Healey's first budget as chancellor.

He said his plans would give families "breathing space", with measures including help for some households facing higher energy bills and changes to business rates.

But the response across Shropshire was divided, with businesses, charities and politicians split over whether the measures will be enough.

Harry Delves, who runs Tuffins Supermarket in Craven Arms, said there was little in the announcement that would make a significant difference to his business.

He said: "We all knew about the national living wage that was going to be increasing from April, so that's something that we just need to build into our forecast for the following year."

While he welcomed the extension of the 5p fuel duty cut, Delves said he did not see "any big announcements or major changes" that would "supercharge the UK economy.

"In all, it's quite uneventful. We shall see how everything starts to turn out."

Scott Adams, owner of Telford Exotic Zoo, called the Budget "underwhelming" and said there was "really nothing in there" that would directly help visitor attractions.

Instead, he said he hoped any extra money in consumers' pockets might lead to more spending on leisure.

"If people feel maybe like they've got a little bit more money in their pocket, then maybe they'd be more willing to go out and spend money on luxuries, like going for days out," he said.

Adams said businesses were still being hit by rising costs.

"Our electric costs have gone out of control. Animal feeds, anything that we're buying in since the pandemic, there's just been one excuse after another to double the price.

"Instead of enjoying running a business, it seems like you're always fighting. You're always fighting to make enough money to buy everything that you need."

He added: "There's not really any help or support out there at all at the moment."

Callum Jinks, financial controller at Joule's Brewery in Market Drayton, welcomed help on business rates but said the measures did not go far enough for pubs and breweries.

He said: "The main things in there for us were the supports on the business rates, which does touch some of our sites and our tenants and will support them.

"But I don't think it goes anywhere near far enough to what the wider pub industry does need at the moment."

Jinks said there was a "big push" in hospitality for a review of VAT and more relief on alcohol duty.

He also criticised the current business rates system, saying successful pubs could effectively be punished.

"If you get a good operator and a pub that improves the business and makes that pub very successful in the local area, its business rates are then unfairly affected by increasing dramatically," he said.

He warned that even with some positives, more pub closures could still happen.

"I think in general we're going to see more pubs closing before anything does get better."

Mark Triggs, from debt charity Christians Against Poverty, said some of the headline measures were welcome but questioned how much difference they would make as costs keep rising.

He said: "The food tariffs, they reckon, will save an average household only £20 a year. So it's welcome, but it's a lot of little bits here and there with costs still running riot."

Triggs said energy costs were still one of the biggest worries, especially in Shropshire where many households are not on the gas grid.

"I think energy is the issue that most troubles in terms of what we'll see with people coming forward in the coming weeks."

He said more people were asking for help because they could not afford essentials.

"I see more and more people because they can't put food on the table and are looking for referrals to food banks."

Despite his concerns, Triggs said the chancellor had faced an "impossible sort of task".

"The proof will be in the pudding as time proceeds, but I think people won't feel that they're any better off than they were."

In response to the criticism, Labour MP for Shrewsbury Julia Buckley called the Budget "really positive".

She said: "You have to remember there's lots of uncertainty internationally. Our job really is to try and stabilise things and reduce some of our immediate costs to help people with this really difficult situation."

Buckley said changes to business rates would mean many smaller firms no longer paid the charge, and pointed to investment through the National Wealth Fund and Good Growth Fund.

She also highlighted measures designed to cut household costs, including support for households in council tax bands A to D.

"Our big project as a Labour government is to get people onto renewable energy because it's the cheapest form of energy," she said.

Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire Helen Morgan welcomed support on business rates and help for households, but said the budget still did not go far enough.

"Overall I think it was a timid budget," she said.

Morgan said rural communities needed more help with heating oil and Liquefied Petroleum Gas costs.

"We need to help people to heat their homes over the winter because the prices are really astronomical at the moment."

She also supported calls for a temporary cut in VAT for hospitality businesses and warned rural areas could miss out on investment.

"At the moment, it looks like places that are rural are missing out in a significant way," she added.