| Responding to today’s Budget, South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “While there is some good news for South Yorkshire in today’s Budget – we welcome the opportunities afforded by Investment Zones, the extension to support with energy bills and the offer of help families with childcare costs – there were also missed opportunities to make a real difference to the lives of our communities. “There was nothing in today’s announcement to tackle some of the systemic problems holding back South Yorkshire. Our economic growth is held back the number of people suffering from long-term, often preventable health conditions, not the limits on how much we can pay into our pension pots. The Chancellor had a £25billion windfall to spend but found no pay rises for nurses and teachers, and nothing to stabilise our broken bus market so people can actually get to and from work. “Ultimately budgets are about priorities and choices. As growth remains anaemic and people across South Yorkshire see their living standards continue to fall, the Chancellor has yet again chosen to prioritise short-term solutions over tackling our country’s long-term – and increasingly glaring – problems.” |
