The Budget

The main focus this week has been Alistair Darling’s first budget. Faced with a faltering global economy, the chancellor didn’t have a lot of room for manoeuvre.

So he gets my full support for choosing to make the main beneficiaries those children who are living in poverty. Increasing child support and helping get a quarter of a million children out of poverty by 2010 will certainly help this constituency.  We have very wealthy areas side by side with some of the most deprived wards in the region. The Labour government is closing that gap. The extra support in the budget for children is matched by the children’s’ centres and stunning 5% increase in the primary care trust health budget.

The next question is whether the budget was green enough?  Here is the real dilemma for politicians. All the scientific evidence now points to there being only a very few years left in which to stop an irreversible melt down as a result of climate change. When will people accept that we have to act now to stabilise the climate change? And by acting I mean paying now as well.

With transport contributing 29% of total carbon emissions the announcement of a “showroom tax” for the worst polluting cars is a step in the right direction. So is the introduction of aviation duty. This will replace air passenger duty with a duty levied per plane. – to encourage airlines to fly planes which are full.

Significantly, Mr Darling announced plans to extend the zero-carbon homes targets to commercial properties.  The Government has already committed to making all new homes carbon neutral by 2016 and this new announcement requires all non-domestic buildings to be carbon neutral by 2019. Local architects, developers and construction firms please note.

For those of you who have contacted me about getting extra help with older people‘s winter fuel payments, the budget changes increasing the over 60s’ payment to £250 this winter and

the over 80s’ to £400 will ease the pressure on those struggling to pay bills.  As also will the government’s announcement that energy companies will have to triple their expenditure helping the poorest households heat their homes. 

The week ended with meetings in Endon to discuss sport strategy. I would like to see the community there come together to decide how to make bets use of existing sporting facilities in Endon; ,how they can best be linked to clubs and schools, how we can encourage children interested in all sports to start early and continue their chosen sports. Too often all I hear is “We’re not having that here”. SO what sports do we need and how can we secure funding? What would our young people like to see? What do all age groups value most about what we have and how can we enlist the people and the funding to invest in sport and healthy lifestyles for the future? Let me have you r views please and I will pass them on to those running and planning the sports policy.