Chancellor’s Budget takes steps in right direction but concerns still remain - The Yorkshire Post says

Forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) showed Britain would avoid recession in 2023, allowing the country to breathe a sigh of relief.

However, pressures faced by households are not going to go away with many facing a squeeze on budgets. The OBR has forecast that real household disposable income per person will fall by 6 per cent over this financial year and the next.

The Chancellor’s statement was billed as the ‘back to work Budget’ and expanding free childcare for working parents is the right thing to do.

It will now cover all children under five by September 2025 and hopefully should allow more parents to get back to work.

Too often, women have borne the responsibilities of parenthood and left the workforce for prolonged periods or even indefinitely. It is not right that women miss out on career opportunities and sacrifice career advancement.

With childcare costs in the UK amongst the highest in the world, it has simply not been feasible for both parents to return to work and while there are questions over whether the funding is enough, this move by the Chancellor is to be welcomed as a step in the right direction.

Mr Hunt is also right to recognise that levelling up can be a vehicle for delivering much needed economic growth. Yorkshire is primed to help deliver that growth but it needs the tools and powers to be able to do so.

It is only right that the Government has chosen to keep the energy price guarantee until June, given there are so many vulnerable people still struggling with fuel bills.