Andrew Gwynne, the Labour MP Denton and Reddish, has today welcomed the Chancellor’s Budget as a clear commitment to economic stability, opportunity and security for all.

This Budget will deliver economic stability in the face of global economic challenges. UK growth this year is the highest amongst the G7 countries and is forecast to be the joint highest next year.

(left) Andrew Gwynne MP with Chancellor of the Excequer, Alistair Darling, discussing the 2008 Budget 

250,000 children will be lifted out of poverty through increases in Child Benefit and the child element of the Child Tax Credit in this Budget. The Government have also laid out a £200 million package over the next three years to bring forward by a year to 2011 the Government’s ambition for no school to have fewer than 30 per cent of its pupils achieving 5 A*-C grades at GCSE, including English and maths.

Because the Government knows that keeping warm is vital for pensioners, the Budget announced extra one-off payments of £50 for households with someone over 60 (meaning a payment this year of £250) and £100 extra for households with someone over 80 (meaning a payment of £400).

These increases are on top of measures already announced to support pensioners in Tameside and Stockport including free central heating for Pension Credit recipients & discounts of £300 for all other pensioners who do not currently have it; free prescriptions & free eyesight tests for over 60s; and free TV licences for the over 75s.

Andrew Gwynne MP said:

“Today’s Budget is great news for pensioners, families and children.”

“Over 9 million households nationwide and 17,480 households in this area will get extra cash to pay their heating bills this year. And 11,725 families in this area will gain from the increases in Child Benefit.”

“I welcome the Budget’s focus on tackling two of the big issues that matter most to the people of Denton and Reddish - child poverty and pensioner poverty. Under Labour, we have had 10 years of economic stability and growth, this budget shows that this can continue whilst helping the people that need it the most.”