Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has welcomed GMP's apology to three victims of grooming gangs in Rochdale.
23.03.2022 - 22:51 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
People on benefits, the disabled and those who cannot afford a car have been forgotten in Rishi Sunak 's Spring Statement, Mayor Andy Burnham has said. The Greater Manchester mayor welcomed the measures announced by the Chancellor today (March 23), saying they will 'clearly benefit many people'.
Sunak announced a cut to fuel duty of 5p per litre, a tax cut on energy saving household installations and targeted help for poorer households from April. He also announced that the national insurance threshold would increase from July so that people will not be taxed on their earnings of up to £12,570 a year.
However, Burnham said that Sunak decided against supporting some of the people who are most at risk from the cost of living crisis in the mini-budget. He said: "I listened carefully, but I didn't hear that there was any real help being provided for people on benefits, people who have that low fixed income – disabled people, older people, families on out-of-work benefits.
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"They are already people who are most at risk from the cost of living crisis because their income is low and fixed. But, beyond a small move towards more discretionary funding for local authorities, I did not hear significant support for people in that position."
The metro mayor said he is not opposed to cutting fuel duty, but questioned why the Chancellor has 'prioritised' motorists while not doing much to help people who cannot afford to run a car and are reliant on public transport. He cited 'significant' increases to bus and rail fares in the city-region recently.
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Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has welcomed GMP's apology to three victims of grooming gangs in Rochdale.
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