Many residents across South Cambridgeshire will feel deeply frustrated by this year’s budget, and we share those concerns. While ministers talk about “stability”, the reality for local families looks very different. Freezing income tax thresholds and reducing support for savers and people planning for retirement means thousands of hard-working residents will quietly pay more over time, even if their wages barely rise. Those who have done the sensible thing - saving through ISAs or contributing to pensions, are now being penalised, not rewarded.
This budget also shows a worrying lack of understanding of life in rural communities like ours. Proposals that increase costs for drivers, including people who switched to electric vehicles in good faith, will hit South Cambridgeshire particularly hard. Many residents here have no realistic alternative to using a car to get to work, school, healthcare or essential services due to limited public transport. Piling extra costs onto commuters and families in this way is unfair and short-sighted.
Once again, ordinary working households will feel the real impact, but to use the Chancellor’s words “by stealth”. A budget should support communities like ours, strengthening local families and helping people get by in challenging economic times. Instead, this one risks making everyday life more expensive, while offering little meaningful support in return.
We will continue to speak up for our communities and push for fairer treatment, better support for rural areas, and policies that reflect the real cost of living here in South Cambridgeshire. Last year, the Chancellor broke her election promises with the biggest tax rises in history attacking farmers, pensioners and business. And she told us she would not be back for more. But that again was another lie. As this year taxes hiked yet again. If their VAT raid on education last year wasn’t enough, she’s even taxing the kid’s milkshakes this year. There really is no low she won’t stoop to. To quote my 8 year old daughter “it’s outrageous”. But the dangerous state of affairs we are now in is that trust in politicians nationally and locally is so low that they are at risk of toppling everything we take for granted. This is why as Conservatives we must prove we are worthy of people’s trust and get back to governing our local councils and our country. For our part we will do all we can to show that we can be trusted to be upfront, honest and that we will never forget that it is the taxpayer who we serve.
