‘Budget decisions guided by principles of fairness’
“MUCH has changed, but one thing has stayed the same. I said we will do whatever it takes. We will continue to do so.”
As the Chancellor took to his feet Yesterday (Wednesday) morning, the centrepiece of his Budget statement was a further £65bn in stimulus spending.
An extension of the furlough until September, a six-month extension of the Universal Credit uplift and a £5bn rescue package for the high street. These measures are integral to the survival of many businesses in West Berkshire who have described to me their fears of meeting wage bills, commercial rents and a host of other overheads if Government support been withdrawn in the spring.
Yes, we are on the road to recovery, but it will take time to rebuild consumer demand and clear the debts that built up. Non-essential retail will be entitled to ‘Restart’ grants of up to £6,000 and for hospitality, tourism, leisure and personal care businesses grants of up to £18,000 will be available to get them back on their feet.
West Berkshire Council will receive a share of a further £425m in discretionary grant funding to support businesses unable to access other forms of support.
However, we have to be honest about what this entails for the public finances.
The scale of public borrowing is now at a level that is unprecedented since the
Second World War.
Even a one per cent increase in the base rate would add an extra £25bn in annual interest payments, dwarfing the budgets we spend on some public services.
Responsible government involves making tough choices and the Chancellor made clear that these start now.
The starting point is a freeze on income tax thresholds and from 2023, an increase in corporation tax – which is paid on company profits.
These are not arbitrary decisions, but are guided by principles of fairness.
The fact is that the vast majority of companies have made no profit at all in the last 12 months, but for those that have – and in some sectors these have been considerable – it is fair that they should shoulder the greatest tax burden, and even then this will not apply to some small businesses.
But quantity of unemployment over the next decade cannot depend on Government intervention.
It will depend on the policies we adopt now and their impact on the labour market, human adaptability and our readiness to react to changing circumstances.
To meet this the Chancellor set out three measures.
1. A new ‘super-deduction’ tax allowance to spur business investment.
2. Incentives to encourage innovation including fasttrack visa routes for highlyskilled science and tech professionals and tax incentives for research and development.
3. And a plan to enhance productivity with a new ‘Help to Grow’ scheme of management and executive training.
All of this creates huge opportunities for businesses in West Berkshire and puts our expertise and specialism – particularly particularly in the field of technology – at the heart of the nation’s economic recovery.
Responsible government involves making tough choices and the Chancellor made clear that these start now
A SPEECH and language therapy centre, aimed at individuals and schools in the local community, is opening in Newbury.
The Mary Hare organisation – which runs the Mary Hare primary and secondary schools for deaf children in West Berkshire – is behind the idea, which will include one-to-one therapy sessions, group sessions, training and advice.
Katherine Clements, who heads up the Speech and Language Therapy Service, said: “We are delighted to be able to share our expertise with those who need it most.
“We are experienced in working with children and young people of all ages with a range of needs including speech difficulties, language and vocabulary delays, developmental language disorders, auditory processing disorders and many more.
“We are also experienced in supporting clients with communication difficulties related to hearing impairment as well as developing listening skills using assistive devices such as hearing aids or cochlear implants.”
The service will be available to pre-school and school-aged children, teens and adults and therapy sessions will take place at the Arlington Arts Centre, or at the young person’s school.
In addition to this, the service also offers online therapy sessions via Microsoft Teams.
Assessment packages are available in order to identify specific needs, recommend suitable targets and provide advice.
Teenagers and young adults can access therapy packages to support their transition into adulthood with the development of communication and life skills.
Adults may access the service to help them maximise their listening skills after receiving hearing aids or as part of a rehabilitation package following cochlear implant surgery.
The service will also prove vital to many schools requiring individual or group therapy for their pupils, particularly when this can be carried out on site.
Training workshops on areas such as deaf awareness, emotional literacy and social skills will also be offered by the centre to schools, employers and families.
This service is running one day a week with plans to expand with an increase in demand.
For more details, visit www.maryhare.org/uk/speechlanguage-therapy or email privatetherapy@maryhare.org.uk
AN Ashampstead villager has set himself a challenge of cycling 250 miles in memory of his mother to raise money for Blood Cancer UK.
Shaun Ward has entered into a cycling event called ‘Chase the Sun’, which starts in Minster on the Isle of Sheppey and finishes in Burnham-on-Sea, all within the hours between sunrise and sunset, on June 19.
As well as raising vital funds for Blood Cancer UK, Mr Ward will be embarking on the challenge in memory of his mother Diane Parrott, who died of coronavirus in December 2020 after a lengthy battle with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
He will be joined by fellow members at Newbury Velo cycling club, a team he has been with since December 2019.
Mr Ward, who is a business operations manager for a manufacturing company, has been with the club since they formed.
He said: “Newbury Velo was warm, welcoming and encouraging on this first engagement, with all the excitement of this new view on what club cycling should be.
“We all met for the first group ride which the club had hosted by the clock tower in Newbury and, to everyone’s amazement, there were 75 riders.
“From this movement I became an addict, wanting to cycle thousands of miles over the year and making bigger and bigger plans about where and when I will get to undertake some of these adventures.”
The 37-year-old hasn’t always been a keen cyclist, but in 2019 he took part in a number of events, including the London to Reading ride and the Blenheim Palace triathlon.
Although 2020 put a stop to a lot of sports, Newbury Velo still managed to safely host a number of club rides and races.
When they were unable to do either, they offered pre-planned routes that were a little mini adventure around the local area.
“The club have supported me to become a ride leader, sharing the skills I have learned from others and placed further development with myself and a number of other members to become coaches,” he said.
Last year proved difficult for Mr Ward and his family as his mother died at the age of 55, after being rushed into hospital just before Christmas.
He was fortunate, along with his brothers, to see his mother just hours before she died, but explained the difficulties afterwards.
Mr Ward said: “Upon leaving the hospital I had to isolate away from my brother and family which was hard and I found myself cycling on an indoor trainer to try and get my head straight around the situation.”
It was from that moment that he decided to enter the Chase the Sun event and raise money for charity.
“I got thinking on how I should try and raise money for Blood Cancer UK to try and get a treatment that will cure the cancer and not have side effects, so others will get the chance to live their life and do the things they plan without an early death,” he added.
If you wish to support Shaun’s journey and Blood Cancer UK, please donate via the website: https://www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/shaun-ward