There is much in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement that can benefit people in Warrington.  This is the claim from Cllr Ian Marks, Lib Dem leader on Warrington Borough Council.

Cllr Marks said, “The Autumn Statement has been delivered in incredibly difficult and uncertain  times.   Getting the economic fundamentals right is crucial. In Europe, failure to take firm control of spending has had catastrophic consequences for some countries.  Here Labour wants to spend more, borrow more and increase debt – just at the point where we see that countries that borrow more end up in a state of crisis.

I know that Liberal Democrat Government ministers have pressed the Chancellor for resources to be prioritised towards offering practical help to those that need it most and towards investing in infrastructure to rebalance our economy.

Liberal Democrat policy being delivered in Government has already secured income tax cuts for people on low and middle incomes and action to tackle youth unemployment through the Youth Contract recently announced by the Deputy Prime Minister.  We must ensure that young people in Warrington gain from this new deal.

The Autumn Statement offers help with fuel duty, rail fares, and extending nursery care for two-year-olds so it now reaches 40% of children.  It has also increased the bank levy to ensure banks pay their fair share.

Most importantly, the Autumn Statement secures further investment for the long term.  It delivers an extra £5bn in capital spending on projects across the country including several in the north west, an extra £1bn to the Regional Growth Fund, and a credit easing package of £20bn to secure cheaper access to finance for small businesses.  It is good that the Chancellor made specific mention of the Atlantic Gateway project saying he wanted to help turn the vision into reality.  This should provide a major boost to our local economy because Warrington sits in the middle of the Ship Canal corridor the project covers.”