Will the Budget pass Burnham's Makerfield test?

Will the Budget pass Burnham's Makerfield test?

Karen Jones hopes the Budget will help people keep more of the money they earn

On a wet Tuesday in October, Platt Bridge Community Centre, near Wigan, is filled with the sound of Shania Twain. Around 30 women and one man are line dancing to her hit Man! I Feel Like a Woman! The class has become so popular that the centre has recently added an extra session to cope with demand.

The community centre sits in the middle of Andy Burnham's constituency, Makerfield, and budgeting is something they understand well here. It is operated entirely by volunteers and has recently had to raise thousands of pounds for a new roof.

Norman Smith is one of the trustees. He says keeping the centre going brings huge financial pressures.

"It's a very old building, and sometimes the trustees feel like they're trying to keep all the plates spinning, it's very hard at times."

Alongside line dancing, the centre is also home to Wigan table tennis club. It provides a food bank and a warm space too.

Smith says the centre is a vital part of the Platt Bridge community.

"No one gets paid for working here. We have around 500 people using the centre. Financially it couldn't run without the volunteers."

Platt Bridge is one of the most deprived areas of Wigan.

When Andy Burnham won the Makerfield by-election, he said the constituency would not be a "stepping stone" to No 10, although he later became prime minister.

Instead, he said he wanted it to be a "touchstone", with every government policy or announcement needing to pass a "Makerfield test". If it works there, it will work for other communities like it.

In his victory speech in June, Burnham said: "A Makerfield test at the heart of British politics will make sure that the places Westminster has neglected will now get fairness."

John Healey's first Budget will be a genuine test of that.

Will people in Ashton feel they have more or less money when they do their weekly shop? Will a small business in Abram have more confidence to expand and take on more staff?

Zoe Billingham, from the think tank IPPR North, says the Budget will be a "balancing act" between the pressures people are facing from the rising cost of living and the economic headwinds caused by events such as the war in Iran.

She says it will be a "really important budget to show who they [the government] stand for".

She wants to know who will be asked to shoulder those economic pressures and who will receive support?

"The Makerfield test is a really valuable way of making sure that the economy works in service of ordinary people," she says.

Back at the community centre, Sue Hughes, chair of the trustees, believes the government is already acknowledging the area's needs.

Platt Bridge and nearby Spring View have been awarded £20m over the next 10 years through Pride in Place funding.

"I can't complain about the support this area is being given, but more support is always welcome," she says.

"Platt Bridge is a really vibrant community, despite being so deprived. So the community itself deserves that support."

Burnham's government has made several announcements aimed at tackling the cost of living, including a £2 bus fare cap, removing VAT on domestic electricity bills and business rates relief for pubs and live music venues.

But the prime minister recently admitted that was not enough and suggested there could be more support in the Budget.

Sophie Lowe, 29, from Abram, has a two-year-old daughter. She says she has not yet seen the benefit of any of Burnham's policies.

"I found it hard going back to work, but we needed the two incomes just to cover the bills."

She says she had to leave her job in Merseyside and find one closer to home because petrol was too expensive.

Fuel prices are also a problem for one of the line dancers, Joanne Ainscow, who says she now spends at least £20 more every time she fills up.

But the 57-year-old foster carer also thinks the government can do more to help workers like her by exempting them from council tax.

Some local authorities in the UK offer foster carers a 100% discount or full exemption, while many others do not.

"We are all doing the same job, so it should be the same across the board. It should be equal," she says.

Nicha Rowson, 35, says she believes the Platt Bridge community is "being heard" under Burnham's stewardship.

She says that when residents speak to their local MP and councillors, they are "taking in our voices".

She believes that if politicians listen to what residents are saying, Makerfield could become "this amazing place".

Taking a break from line dancing, Karen Jones, 67, from Ashton-in-Makerfield, says she will watch the Budget on Wednesday with interest.

"I want to see what they can do for people," she says.

She wants the chancellor to consider helping people keep more of their money.

"People are struggling to earn a decent living and then they're taxed quite a lot on it, there should be a little bit more relief for them, I think."

The Budget comes alongside Andy Burnham's first 100 days in office.

The decisions he and the chancellor make on Wednesday could shape how the next 100 days are judged.