Nuneaton MP, Marcus Jones, has welcomed the announcements in the Autumn Statement delivered by the Chancellor, George Osborne.

Marcus agreed with the Chancellor when he stated that the Government’s long-term economic plan is working but that the job is not done. The Chancellor announced a number of measures to support business, which have been welcomed by the town’s MP, who also serves as a Small Business Ambassador for David Cameron.

 The measures announced by the Chancellor include:

• A £1,000 discount in business rates to shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs as part of a wider programme of help for the high street and support for businesses.
• A freeze in fuel duty, to get energy bills down, and to freeze rail fare rises.
• As part of a youth package, to abolish the jobs tax for employers hiring people under 21. There will be a university place for anyone with the right grades, and through our welfare reforms we are giving young people the skills they need to succeed.
• Recognising marriage in the tax system.

Marcus also strongly welcomed the announcement to reduce energy bills for hard working people. Bills will fall by around £50 because the Government is rolling back the cost of green levies on bill.

During the Statement, George Osborne praised Marcus for the work he has done on campaigning for a discount in business rates.

Commenting, Marcus said: “I accept that times remain hard for many people but the measures announced by the Chancellor are a huge step in the right direction to help hard working people with the cost of living and to help businesses create new jobs. I was particularly pleased to hear the Chancellor outline the discount in business rates, which I know will go a long way to helping businesses throughout the country and indeed here in Nuneaton.

“There is reason to be optimistic. Labour’s deficit is down, Labour’s debt will fall sooner than predicted, businesses have created 1.4 million new jobs, and the growth forecast for this year has more than doubled. The single biggest risk to the recovery comes from the Labour Party who call for us to abandon our plan, to borrow more and to spend more. That is exactly what got us into this mess in the first place.

“Of course, there is still more to do. We need to keep on working through the plan and the Government absolutely recognises this. That is why we are legislating to cap welfare, making sure we fix the roof when the sun is shining by running a budget surplus as things improve and keeping public spending under control.”