Chancellor has missed opportunity to deliver change for Lewes

 Following the Spring Statement, local Liberal Democrat MP James MacCleary has said that the Chancellor “missed her chance” to deliver the change needed in Lewes, Seaford, Newhaven, Polegate, Willingdon, Stone Cross and our local villages by scrapping the jobs tax and reforming business rates.

The Spring Statement confirms that taxes will rise on small businesses through the rise in employers’ national insurance contributions. James and the Liberal Democrats have instead urged the Labour Government to raise money not from local high streets but by asking the big banks, social media giants and online gambling companies to pay their fair share.

The Lib Dem MP added that the Spring Statement showed “that the Government doesn’t understand our rural community at all”, including no reversal of the family farm tax.

James said: "Across my constituency, I'm hearing from community organisations, GPs, Pharmacists, nurseries, and small businesses who are deeply concerned – this Budget does nothing to ease the financial strain, and the rise in Employer National Insurance contributions only adds to their burden.

“Across Lewes, Seaford, Newhaven, Polegate, Willingdon, Stone Cross and our local villages, people are struggling with eye-watering bills, businesses are buckling under pressure and our public services are crumbling.

“This Spring Statement was a real opportunity for this government to turn things round for the better, but instead it will just inflict more pain on our small businesses and high streets, cut public services and hit disabled people.

Rachel Reeves has shown that the Government doesn’t understand our rural communities at all. The Liberal Democrats will fight for the reversal of the family farm tax, the boosting of rural public transport and a strategy to tackle rural crime.

“There is no doubt the Conservatives left our economy in tatters, but the Chancellor has missed her chance to deliver the change and growth we need here in Lewes. I and the Liberal Democrats will campaign for the Government to urgently change course and look to boost growth in much fairer and effective ways, raising money from the banking, tech and gambling giants, not the businesses in our high streets and the farmers in our community.”