Why This Budget Matters for Newbury and West Berkshire

Budgets come and go, but for many people across Newbury and West Berkshire, life keeps getting harder. Families are still battling rising costs, small businesses are fighting to stay open, and our public services, especially SEND, education, and the NHS, are stretched to the limit.

That’s why this Budget matters. It’s a chance for the Government to stop papering over the cracks and start delivering the real change our area needs.

For me, there are three priorities that must be at the heart of this Budget.

1. Support for our high streets

Local businesses tell me every week how tough trading conditions are. An emergency VAT cut to 15% for hospitality, accommodation, and attractions until April 2027 would give our high streets the breathing space they desperately need.

2. Proper funding for public services

SEND support needs serious investment. Schools and councils can’t keep absorbing extra demand without the funding to match it. And our NHS, already under strain, needs long-term investment, including the capital plans for a new Royal Berkshire Hospital. Public services hold our communities together, and they need to be funded properly.

3. Scrap the Family Farm Tax

This policy is completely out of touch with the reality facing family farms here in West Berkshire. It threatens the future of family-run farms, our food security, and our natural environment. Scrapping it is essential.

The Government keeps talking about change, but people here are still waiting to see it. The Conservatives left behind a battered economy, yes, but this Government cannot keep making the same wrong choices.

If the Chancellor is serious about helping communities like ours, he needs to back high streets, invest in public services, and protect our rural economy. That’s what real change looks like.