Ribble Valley Constituency Labour Party Secretary David Hinder has criticised Conservative chancellor Philip Hammond’s Budget as a “tiny portion buffet that leaves everyone hungry”.

“Looking behind the headline grabbing announcement on funding for the NHS, the Budget in reality merely staves off more cuts and leaves most Government departments starved of the cash they need to get our economy back on the road to sustained growth.

Sadly, our local Conservative and Liberal Democrat politicians prefer to publicly draw attention to their individual interests rather than addressing the economic and political crises facing the whole country.

Nigel Evans MP, President of the All Parliamentary Beer Group, will no doubt be celebrating the success of his appeal last week for a freeze on beer, cider and spirits duty, while Ribble Valley Liberal Democrat Leader Allan Knox’s response to the Budget has been to focus on the absence of a tax on disposable coffee cups, despite the proposed introduction of a tax on packaging containing less than 30% recycled plastic and the prospect of an “incineration levy” to encourage recycling.

David concluded “While our political opponents’ response to the failure of the Chancellor’s Budget to reverse austerity is to “sweat the small stuff”, Ribble Valley Labour Party will continue to campaign to reverse cuts and increase investment in essential services such as policing, schools, social care and roads, together with the reform of Universal Credit, in order to give the people of the Ribble Valley the quality of life that they deserve.”