LETTER: 'What a sad budget! Leaked for days and then such an anti-climax'

"So many people here in Wakefield have lost their jobs during the pandemic and yet even if the £20 a week is maintained in Universal Credit until the autumn, a family with two children living on Universal Credit will be £451.36 a year worse off. Already we are seeing debt and poverty rise.

"Those that manage to keep their low-paid jobs will be probably be part of the 1.3million people across the country who will have to start paying tax.

"It is evident that further cuts are to be applied to the local authority and there is an even greater emphasis on the council tax payer paying more.

"Still the issue remains, long promised to resolve the funding of elderly care, but it isn’t even mentioned.

"Surely the worst was the planned post pandemic drop in allocation to the National Health Service of £30 billion, at a time when patients are waiting longer, a flu epidemic is anticipated for next winter, more staff are desperately needed and mental health is in urgent need of funding.

"Throughout the past year we have had nothing but praise for our NHS and it’s exhausted staff, but now some, are going to be offered a derisory one per cent wage increase, while others will get nothing.

"It really is not good enough, when so much money has been wasted."

Coun Olivia Rowley

WMDC