• Make a contribution
  • Get the Print Edition
  • Sign up for our daily newsletter
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
  • Login
Reading Today Online
  • HOME
  • YOUR AREA
    • All
    • Caversham
    • Central Reading
    • East Reading
    • Katesgrove
    • Reading
    • Southcote & Coley
    • Tilehurst & Norcot
    • Whitley

    Woman in her seventies sexually assaulted on bus in Reading

    Government announces unified parking app rollout

    Four in a row for BAPCO

    Broad Street Beats bolsters wellbeing during Mental Health Awareness Week

    Emma Johnson MBE and the Orchestra for the Environment coming to Town Hall

    Health secretary visits Royal Berks

    Kenya Butchers and Just Fresh owners fined nearly £60k for further health and safety breaches

    Vyome Singh named Reading New Comedian of the Year– after only starting stand-up in January

    World Bee Day: UoR says pollinators face continued and increasing threats

  • COMMUNITY
  • READING FC
  • SPORT
    • All
    • Basketball
    • Football
    • Rugby

    Four in a row for BAPCO

    Reading fans – you can finally dare to dream again

    Rob Couhig reveals new Reading FC CEO following takeover

    It’s a podium streak for Wokingham racing star Bobby with a win at Silverstone

    Rams RFC celebrate at end of season ball

    Lewis hits brilliant century to see Berkshire CCC beat Buckinghamshire

    ‘Without you, there would be no club’: Defender sends farewell message to Reading FC fans

    Style and splendour returns to Newbury

    Former Reading FC manager to be named as new Brazil national team assistant manager under Ancelotti

  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • ARTS
    • READING FESTIVAL
    • READING PRIDE
    • WOKINGHAM FESTIVAL
  • PRIDE OF READING
  • OBITUARIES
  • JOBS
  • ADVERTISE
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Reading Today Online
No Result
View All Result
Home Featured

WESTMINSTER DIARY: The Spring Budget and challenges being faced by pubs and small businesses

Guest Contributor by Guest Contributor
Thursday, March 14, 2024 7:31 am
in Featured, Opinion, Politics
A A
Reading East MP Matt Rodda

Reading East MP Matt Rodda

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

By Matt Rodda

The cost-of-living crisis has been biting terribly and several local shops and pubs have shut in the last few months.

Sadly, last week’s budget will do nothing to help.

I believe we need a change of Government and a new approach to help our hard-pressed residents.

The hospitality sector plays a central role in British life, bringing jobs to our local economies and vitality to our high streets. It is very worrying to see that venues are finding it ever harder to succeed, in part due to high inflation, staff shortages and the burden of rising business rates.

At the same time, customers have less money to spend at pubs, cafes, bars, and restaurants because wages have stagnated while taxes and the cost of living has risen.

Related posts

Woman in her seventies sexually assaulted on bus in Reading

Government announces unified parking app rollout

Four in a row for BAPCO

Broad Street Beats bolsters wellbeing during Mental Health Awareness Week

Unfortunately, this Government has failed to protect businesses in the hospitality sector and has allowed the running down of our high streets, and the Chancellor’s recent budget has done little to remedy this.

Experts in these sectors agree, with UK Hospitality stating that the budget has ‘very little for hospitality businesses’, and the British Retail Consortium commenting that this ‘will do nothing to turbo charge investment and growth in communities’.

I believe that this budget was a missed opportunity to bring forward policies that would help the hospitality sector and our high streets to thrive once again.

The Government has also failed to deliver on policies that would help the average household with their finances; taxes are still rising, prices are still going up in the shops and mortgages are higher.

This budget confirms that the UK has the highest tax burden in 70 years, rising every year of the forecast period. Households will be on average £870 worse off, with Sunak’s tax plan only giving 5p for every 10p being taken from you. Furthermore, the OBR confirms this will be the worst Parliament on record for living standards.

Wages are stagnating with real pay going up by just £17 a week over 13 years of Conservative government.

The number one mission of the next Labour government is to get our economy growing so Britain will be better off.

That means bringing stability back so we can protect family finances, with tough fiscal rules and a long-term plan for our economy.

It means investing in British business so we can unlock tens of millions of pounds of private sector investment for our towns and our cities.

And it means reforming planning, so we can boost growth and get building again.

Rishi Sunak’s plan has failed and I believe that it’s time for a new approach.

Matt Rodda is the MP for Reading East

Keep up to date by signing up for our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people who have requested it.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Previous Post

Making herstory: the lives they thought were unimportant

Next Post

Budding artists bloom at Rising Sun student showcase

FOLLOW US

POPULAR STORIES

  • Young man and woman attacked by group of teenagers in Reading robbery

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Former Reading FC star to be released as free agent by Championship club

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Former Reading FC star to become free agent following Championship relegation

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Thousands experience power outage in Reading, not expected to be fixed for hours

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Reading FC group Sell Before We Dai makes generous donation following end of campaign

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

RDG.Today – which is a Social Enterprise – provides Reading Borough with free, independent news coverage.

If you are able, please support our work

Click Here to Support RDG.Today

ABOUT US

Reading Today is dedicated to providing news online across the whole of the Borough of Reading. It is a Social Enterprise, existing to support the various communities in Reading Borough.

CONTACT US

news@wokinghampaper.co.uk

Reading Today Logo

Keep up to date with our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people that have subscribed

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

The Wokingham Paper Ltd publications are regulated by IPSO – the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
If you have a complaint about a  The Wokingham Paper Ltd  publication in print or online, you should, in the first instance, contact the publication concerned, email: editor@wokingham.today, or telephone: 0118 327 2662. If it is not resolved to your satisfaction, you should contact IPSO by telephone: 0300 123 2220, or visit its website: www.ipso.co.uk. Members of the public are welcome to contact IPSO at any time if they are not sure how to proceed, or need advice on how to frame a complaint.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • MY AREA
    • Central Reading
    • East Reading
    • Bracknell
    • Calcot
    • Caversham
    • Crowthorne
    • Earley
  • COMMUNITY
  • SPORT
    • Reading FC
    • Football
    • Rugby
    • Basketball
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • ARTS
    • READING FESTIVAL
    • READING PRIDE
    • WOKINGHAM FESTIVAL
  • PRIDE OF READING
  • OBITUARIES
  • JOBS
  • ADVERTISE
  • CONTACT US
  • SUPPORT US
  • SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
  • WHERE TO GET THE PRINT EDITION

© 2021 - The Wokingham Paper Ltd - All Right Reserved.