Jon Trickett welcomes Budget announcements to help local pensioners and families
Jon Trickett MP has applauded the measures announced in today’s budget, which mean that 18,710 pensioners across his constituency and will benefit from an increase in the Winter Fuel Allowance and changes to the Pension Credit.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling MP, publicised the extra Winter Fuel Payment of £100 for over 80 year olds and £50 for over 60 year olds alongside a whole raft of measures designed to help individuals and businesses in the economic downturn. Particularly significant to local constituents is the increase in the level of savings to be taken into account when calculating entitlement to Pension Credit: from £6,000 to £10,000.
Increases to the child element of Child Tax Credit of £75 above indexation will also help 11,800 children across the whole patch.
Also included in the Budget were: an increase in statutory redundancy pay to £380 per week; a guaranteed job, training or work placement for all 18-24 year olds who reach 12 months unemployed and an extension of the stamp duty holiday for all houses costing up to £175,000.
Jon Trickett said:
The announcements made today will serve to help many local residents in all walks of life, from young people who can’t find work to those who have been made redundant, families, pensioners and businesses.
I especially welcome the new tax rate of 50 per cent for incomes over £150,000, which will serve to support levels of expenditure on public expenditure.
Also of note is the ‘vehicle scrappage scheme’, which could potentially benefit nearly 3,000 households that currently own cars in Featherstone. For a temporary period, consumers who scrap vehicles older than ten years can replace them with new vehicles at a discount of £2,000