Preseli MP Stephen Crabb has given his backing to a raft of measures announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in his Budget today.
The Chancellor used the Budget to announce the first round of successful bids to the new Levelling Up Fund. Among the successful projects was the bid from Pembrokeshire County Council, supported by Stephen Crabb, for £17 million to regenerate Haverfordwest Castle and town centre.
“I am delighted to have helped to secure this new money for Pembrokeshire. The Chancellor has listened to the case we have made for investment in Haverfordwest town centre and it is now up to the County Council to use this money to deliver this project and bring new business to the heart of the town.”
There was good news for workers on low wages with an increase in the Minimum Wage to £9.50 per hour. Alongside the changes to the way Universal Credit gets withdrawn from people on low incomes who take up jobs or extra hours, the Budget will help more people get back into work and improve their livelihoods. Commenting on these measures, Mr Crabb said:
“As someone who has campaigned for a strong system of Universal Credit to help those on low incomes, I strongly welcome the new withdrawal rate. With the economy rebounding, and many employers desperate for more staff, we need to create a strong incentive for people to choose work over welfare.”
Households and businesses across Pembrokeshire are also being helped by the freezing of fuel duty for the twelfth year in a row. For the road haulage sector, which has faced a challenging year, the frozen HGV Levy has also been extended until 2023 while VED on HGVs has also been frozen.
The County’s pubs will benefit from a reduced rate of duty on draught beer as the Chancellor changes the way alcoholic drinks are taxed. Mr Crabb, along with 100 of his colleagues, wrote to the Chancellor recently calling for a lower rate of duty for beer sold from pubs.
Mr Crabb welcomed the new alcohol duties today, saying “Pubs are at the heart of so many of our communities and when a pub closes down something special is lost. I am pleased the Chancellor has adopted our plan to reduce the price of beer from the barrel, helping pubs to compete on a more level playing field with supermarkets.”
Welsh Government will get an extra £2.5 billion as a result of today’s Budget. Mr Crabb is calling for Welsh Ministers to implement some of the England-only measures that were announced.
“The 50% discount in business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure represents a major boost to these sectors and would make a real difference in Pembrokeshire if it was implemented by Welsh Government here in Wales.”