Budget 'will transform lives of city families'

CITY LEADERS PRAISE PLAN TO CUT TWO-CHILD BENEFIT CAP AND GIVE LOCAL AUTHORITIES MORE CONTROL

- By DAVID HUMPHREYS Local Democracy Reporter

RACHEL Reeves delivered a Budget that wasn't “flashy” but will be what the country needs to move forward, according to the Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer delivered her highly-anticipated financial statement yesterday.

A series of high-profile announcements were made in Westminster including the scrapping of the two-child benefit cap and the confirmation of freezing of rail fares. Despite being debated ahead of the speech, there were no changes to income tax.

Following the Budget, political leaders across Liverpool had their say on the fiscal plans.

Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, above, said the announcements felt like a “reset” for the country.

Among the headline statements were a rise in the national minimum wage and a decision to introduce powers that would allow mayors to implement overnight levies on hotel stays, otherwise known as a tourist tax.

Mr Rotheram said: “After 14 years of stop-start government and broken promises, this budget feels like a reset.