Following today's Budget (16.03.16), Sharon reacted by saying:
“For the eighth time in six years the Chancellor has presented a Budget which fails to balance the books, fails to grow our economy and fails to improve the lives of hardworking people across the country, especially here in the North-East.
“Instead of the Government’s empty rhetoric about supporting the next generation, what we have seen in this Budget is the Chancellor create an economy on fragile foundations which will see growth and business investment revised down year on year during this Parliament.
“As always the North-East will bear the brunt of these announcements with a lack of investment directed to our region, whilst more money goes to London and the South-East with the go-ahead for Crossrail 2 not even HS3 is planned to reach us only going as far as Leeds, meaning little or no infrastructure investment in our region for our road and rail network.
“This Budget should have been about creating a 21st century economy which allows high-tech industries to flourish with a highly-skilled workforce earning in a high-wage economy. Yet, the Chancellor has continued down his path of failure and ignored the many important issues which would ensure regions like ours can deliver the employment and investment we desperately need to prosper.”
ENDS