People in West Cumbria work hard. You deserve a government that is on your side, understands the pressure you are under, and acts to help. This week we announced a series of measures to do just that.
Building on the action we’ve already taken to cut costs – expanding free childcare, free school meals and free breakfast clubs; cutting energy bills for everyone; freezing prescription charges, bus and train fares; and big increases to the minimum wage and state pension – this week the Government announced a package of subsidies and tax cuts that will make the summer months just that little bit easier for hard working families in West Cumbria and across the country.
The new Great British Summer Savings scheme will cut VAT from 20% to 5% on a range of family activities from 25th June to 1st September. That means cheaper children’s meals in restaurants, cheaper children’s and family tickets for cinemas, theatres and shows, and lower admission costs for places like museums, theme parks, aquariums, wildlife parks, soft play centres and other attractions.
On top of that, you’ll be able to get to these places more cheaply because children under the age of 16 will have unlimited free bus travel during the month of August across England. While bus fares remain capped at £3 for everyone else. And thanks to the new bus routes we’ve funded through Cumberland Council, towns and villages in West Cumbria are better connected than they’ve been in a long time!
We just want to help parents, grandparents and carers make the summer holidays stretch a little further, while protecting the public finances so we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. And hopefully give a much needed boost to our tourism and hospitality industries through increased footfall in the process, to back up our £4 billion business rates support scheme.
We’ve also stepped in to protect those most exposed to increased oil prices as a result of the war in Iran by extending the 5p cut to fuel duty to the end of the year, giving lorry drivers a 12 month road tax holiday, and making red diesel cheaper for farmers by cutting fuel duty by more than a third until the end of the year, bringing it to its lowest rate in more than 20 years.
The Government is also taking action on food costs by suspending import tariffs on more than 100 supermarket products we bring into the country.
These measures will not solve every problem overnight. I know household budgets remain tight. But these are practical steps designed to make life a little easier for families this summer. I’ll be championing local businesses passing on those savings and letting families know what’s on offer across Cumbria over the summer so do follow me on social media – search ‘Josh MacAlister MP’ across all channels.
Josh MacAlister MP 