Political Opinion: MP Column - Breathing space for today, fresh hope for the future

Monthly column by Rachel Hopkins, MP for Luton South and South Bedfordshire. 

Breathing space for today, fresh hope for the future. That's what Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Chancellor John Healey promised to bring with their first budget, and that's what they will deliver for places like Luton South and South Bedfordshire. 

In our constituency, this budget will mean a £100 payment for all households in council tax bands A-D to help with energy costs, the removal of standing charges on gas bills, and no VAT on electricity bills continuing until July next year. These measures will be paid for by a short-term tax increase for banks – asking them to step up and help working people after the government stepped in to help them after the financial crisis. 

Beyond the cost of living, we also face a housing crisis and can see the effects of this every day in Luton South and South Bedfordshire. This Labour government is serious about tackling it, choosing at the budget to double funding for the Prime Minister's pledge to end rough sleeping to £900 million and increase funding for the Social and Affordable Homes Programme by £1.5 billion. This will mean everyone at crisis point is offered a route off the streets throughout the rest of this Parliament and the biggest investment in council housebuilding in a generation will shore up our housing stock for the future. 

For many people, the clearest sign of whether we are on the right path is the state of our high streets. For too long these have been left in decline, and our communities have faced the consequences. So, in the budget, this Labour government chose to freeze or reduce business rates for all retail, hospitality, and leisure high street properties, and take 70,000 more out of paying them altogether. These measures are set to benefit over 800 businesses here in Luton alone, and they will be paid for by tackling tax non-compliance on online marketplaces, increasing tax on higher-risk gambling machines, and ending business rates relief for vape shops and adult gaming centres. That's this Labour government once again making fair choices to prioritise those businesses and working people that help our communities to thrive, not decline. 

This is a budget built on fairness, delivering for working people - giving breathing space for today and fresh hope for the future in Luton South and South Bedfordshire.