LAST week's budget brought plenty of reaction from mid-Cheshire MPs, with Edward Timpson saying it will 'make a real difference' to people living on our patch.

However, opposition MP Mike Amesbury (Weaver Vale) said it showed the Conservatives were 'out of touch' and had 'the wrong priorities'.

Highlights from Chancellor Rishi Sunak's financial plan include an increase in the National Living Wage to £9.50 an hour, lifting pay restraints for public sector workers, a freeze in fuel duty, with pump prices at their highest level in eight years, as well as a planned alcohol duty hike being cancelled.

Businesses will also benefit from new measures, including a 50 per cent cut in business rates next year for 90 per cent of retail, hospitality and leisure businesses. In addition, all rates will be frozen.

Other measures to drive economic growth include record investment in roads, railways and broadband, and supporting innovation through a record £20 billion spending on research and development.

There was a boost for domestic tourism with the news flights between airports in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be subject to a new lower rate of Air Passenger Duty from April 2023.

Edward Timpson CBE, MP for Eddisbury, said: "These are difficult times, and I know that many people are worried about the weeks and months ahead.

"This Budget will make a real difference to people in Cheshire—helping working families with the cost of living, supporting businesses with their recovery, and investing in our public services.

"Importantly, all of these spending commitments come on top of those already agreed, including £50,000 to develop plans to reopen Beeston Castle and Tarporley Station, £9 million to help upgrade Leighton Hospital’s A&E department, £2.36 million for Cheshire’s Rural Mobility Fund, and the £9.98 million Future High Streets Fund for Winsford.

"I was elected on a promise to level up and improve opportunities for the people of Eddisbury, and that’s exactly what this Budget helps to do."

Labour MP Mike Amesbury said: "The Chancellor's Autumn Budget shows the Conservatives are out of touch and have the wrong priorities.

"They’ve handed huge tax cuts to the banks, while putting taxes up on working people and cutting Universal Credit to about 7,200 families in my Weaver Vale constituency.

"This comes at exactly the wrong time, just as people are feeling the pinch - with energy prices rising, the cost of petrol at record levels, and food bills soaring.

"Labour has a plan to ease the pressure on households right now. We’d abolish VAT on energy bills for 6 months to help people get through the winter months.

"Thanks to the Tories, from next year our taxes will be the highest they’ve been in decades, but they have no plan to fix our crumbling public services - with fewer police on streets, growing class sizes, and long waits to get hospital treatment.

"On the green agenda, there is a gulf between the rhetoric and the reality. Ahead of COP26 Boris Johnson warned the world could be heading for a new ‘dark ages’ if it failed to tackle global warming.

"Yet just a couple days earlier the climate crisis didn’t even get a mention in the budget. And the Chancellor’s halving of air passenger duty on domestic flights will encourage people to take the plane rather than the more environmentally-friendly train!"

Esther McVey, MP for Tatton said: "The lockdowns have had a devastating effect on the nation’s finances and so whilst no Conservative can be happy with a budget which overall puts up taxes, I appreciate that the Chancellor had a particularly difficult job this year.

"I was pleased that he again decided to freeze fuel duty given the already record high price of petrol and I was pleased he adjusted the taper for people on universal credit to make work pay better.

"However it is essential that we work to bring down the overall tax burden again as soon as possible."