The budget and beyond

Budget Reaction

The budget was undoubtedly the big event of last week. I shared my initial reaction on the Sussex Express website. Whilst the implications of the increases to Employers’ National Insurance contributions are still unfolding, I am particularly concerned that local small businesses, GPs and care companies are going to be badly hit by these extra costs. 

For healthcare, the risk is that this undermines the considerable and much needed cash injection into health services that the Chancellor announced last week. I am intending to say more in the coming days, but for now, thanks to those small employers who have written to me about this - I intend to ensure that your fears are set out in the Budget debate. 

Children’s Hospices

Westminster Hall debates give MPs an opportunity to raise local or national issues and receive a response from a government minister. 

Last week an MP from Liverpool tabled a debate on Children’s Hospices, and so I was able to speak about the vital work of Chestnut Tree House who care for children and their families across Sussex. 

Children's hospices overwhelmingly rely on incredible fundraising efforts to keep going, as only a small portion of their money comes from the government. This isn't right, and putting children's and adult hospices on a sound financial footing with statutory funding would give needed security to these charities. 

The government needs to go much further in its support for palliative care in order to ensure that as each of us approaches the end of life, regardless of who you are, your age or where you live, you will get the best care possible.

You can watch my speech on Facebook.

A letter to the Secretary of State for Transport about Gatwick

Liberal Democrat MPs from Kent, Surrey and Sussex signed a letter that I wrote to Louise Haigh, the Secretary of State for Transport asking her to pause plans to bring the emergency runway at Gatwick Airport into commercial use. If we are serious about this country’s climate commitments, then any airport expansion should wait until a national capacity and emissions management framework is in place.

You can read the letter on X.com

Getting in touch

My parliamentary email address is: alison.bennett.mp@parliament.uk. If you need my help, please get in touch and I will do my best to help. I am so pleased that some of my team have now started working for me, but whilst we work through the queue of letters and emails I am sorry that response times are still not as quick as I want them to be. 

Best wishes,
Alison

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