Simon Kirby, Member of Parliament for Brighton Kemptown & Peacehaven today welcomed a Budget that will help young people to get the education and skills they need – a Budget to help make Britain and Brighton Kemptown & Peacehaven fighting fit for the future in a highly-skilled global economy.

The Government has today announced the most ambitious post-16 education reforms since A-levels were introduced 70 years ago providing funding to increase the number of training hours for 16-19 year old further education students by over 50 per cent, with 15 new technical routes and a high-quality work placement for every student.

This Budget announces funding for a further 110 new free schools, on top of the current commitment of 500, alongside an additional £216 million over the next three years to look after our existing schools, taking total investment in school condition to well over £10 billion in this Parliament.

The Budget will further help the most disadvantaged pupils access the best schools by extending free transport to every child entitled to a free school meal to selective schools.

The Government has listened to the concerns raised by business about the effects of the business rates revaluation. Today’s Budget sees a £435 million package, meaning businesses coming out of Small Business Relief will have their increases capped at £50 per month in 2017-18; pubs with a Rateable Value of under £100,000 – 90 per cent of all pubs – will see a £1,000 discount on their 2017 Business Rates bill; and local authorities will receive a further £300 million to target individual hard cases in their areas.

Today’s Budget also commits additional grant funding of £2 billion to social care in England over the next three years. Alongside that, a further £100 million is being made available immediately for up to 100 new triage projects at A&E in English hospitals in time for next winter

Simon welcomed the Spring Budget, saying:

“This is a Budget that ensures young people in Brighton Kemptown & Peacehaven can get the skills they need to do the high-paid, high-skilled jobs of the future, whilst ensuring more children have the chance to go to a good or outstanding school. It helps ordinary working families with the cost of living, and supports the NHS and our elderly by providing substantial funding for the social care system.”

Please see the link below for the Chancellor’s speech.

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/spring-budget-2017-philip-hammonds-speech