Ruth Edwards MP writes her July update for the local communities in Rushcliffe.
Ms Edwards writes:
I’ve never been more excited about going to the pub than I was on the 4th July when I pulled the first pint at the re-opening of the Nevile Arms in Kinoulton. Whether my father, who was visiting for the first time in six months and unwisely volunteered to drink said pint, was equally excited is debatable!
After months with their shutters down, it’s been wonderful to see shops starting to open across Rushcliffe. I have already enjoyed shopping in Radcliffe on Trent, on Melton Road and at the West Bridgford Farmers’ market. It’s great to be meeting with people, albeit socially distanced, across the constituency again and start to get things back to some semblance of normal.
As our economy recovers from the lockdown, we must do all we can to support businesses and protect jobs. To this end, the Chancellor announced significant support earlier this month for businesses, to help them keep employees and create new jobs.
UK Employers will receive a one-off bonus of £1,000 for each furloughed employee who is still employed as of 31 January 2021.
£8.8 billion of new infrastructure, decarbonisation and maintenance projects, including a £3 billion green investment package to help support around 140,000 green jobs, upgrade buildings and cut emissions, is being brought forward.
VAT reductions are being made for the hospitality sector to get things moving again.
The Government’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ voucher scheme will boost trade for local cafes, restaurants and pubs.
Until March 2021, anyone buying a main home under £500,000 will pay no stamp duty at all. This means that people purchasing a property in places such as West Bridgford will save, on average, over £12,000.
£2 billion ‘Green Homes Grant’ scheme will support homeowners and landlords to pay for energy efficiency improvements. This will save some households hundreds of pounds a year on their energy bills, create new jobs and is a step toward a greener future.
These measures are unprecedented in both scale and reach and show the size of the challenge that we face, but this is just the start.
It’s not just businesses who need support, we must also help our young people get a job and to move forward with their careers. That’s why the Government has launched £2 billion Kickstart Scheme to help create hundreds of thousands of work placements for 16 to 24-year olds at risk of long-term unemployment.
This comes alongside £1.6 billion top-up to apprenticeships, training and mentoring programmes.
Ensuring that our young people have a great start in life is something I feel very strongly about. I have always believed that mentoring and apprenticeships are fantastic ways to help people get on in their careers.
At the General Election in December, the Government set out an ambitious manifesto to level up and invest in all parts of the UK and it remains committed to delivering these promises.
In his recent ‘New Deal for Britain’ speech, the Prime Minister made clear that these ambitious plans are going to prioritise investment in the infrastructure of our country, ensuring we have high-quality healthcare and a fantastic education system, world-class transport links that connect the length and breadth of our country.
As we carefully begin to reopen our businesses and restart our lives, we have a fantastic opportunity to build a better and greener future for the whole country.
