Alan welcomes budget focus on child & fuel poverty
April 22nd 2009
Budget info:
Alan Whitehead and John Denham have welcomed the 2009 Budget as delivering real help now to get people, especially young people, quickly back into work, and support businesses and homeowners facing problems.
The Budget also supports investment in the growth industries of the future on which Britain’s success will be built.
Speaking shortly after the Chancellor delivered the 2009 Budget, John Denham (MP for Southampton Itchen) said:
“We know that if we don’t act now, it will cost us all more in the long run. I welcome today’s Budget with its focus on jobs now and jobs in the future.
“Building on the support already coming through – from an income tax and VAT cut - the measures in the Budget will help us deal with the economic difficulties and support jobs, families, businesses and the environment.
“We have the confidence to invest in the recovery – and not talk Britain down.”
Alan Whitehead (MP for Southampton Test) added:
“This Budget offers a reduction in child poverty, greater investment in green energy, more homes built in the South East and more support for those on low incomes; it is a budget offering real help in difficult times.
It is also a budget for future recovery; one that invests in the low carbon industries and technologies of the future that will be crucial to regaining a stable and sustainable economy.”
Key actions announced in the budget:
Support for employment, including:
Support for for Jobcentre Plus and the Flexible New Deal
The offer a guaranteed job, training or work placement for all 18-24 year olds who reach 12 months unemployed;
Support for individuals, including:
Savings: including through an increase in the annual investment limit for Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) to £10,200, up to £5,100 of which can be saved in cash;
Fuel poverty: an additional payment alongside the Winter Fuel Payment worth £100 for households with someone aged over 80 and £50 for households with someone aged over 60 – which will support almost 34,000 people in Southampton Test and Itchen.
Pension Credit: increasing the capital disregard on the level of savings that are not taken into account when calculating entitlement, from November 2009, from £6,000 to £10,000. The Pension Credit helps 9,220 people in the two constituencies.
Child poverty: an increase to the child element of the Child Tax Credit of an additional £20 a year above indexation from April 2010, providing valuable support to families with children
Support for homeowners, homebuyers and renters
Housing supply : a £600 million funding package to help local authorities build more homes, which will be crucial to solving the housing crisis in the South East
House prices: an extension of the stamp duty holiday for all houses costing up to £175,000 until the end of the year.
Support for the environment and energy efficiency
Carbon emissions: Setting the world’s first carbon budget, as required by the Climate Change Act
Renewable energy: £9 billion of investment in offshore wind
Combined Heat & Power generation: The extension of support for combined heat and power through climate change exemptions, helping bring forward £2.5 billion of investment and 3 GW of capacity by 2015 whilst simultaneously supporting employment.
Insultation: £100 million in extra funding to provide cavity wall insulation for social housing.
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