Robert Largan MP says he will continue to bang the drum for High Peak at every opportunity

After the Chancellor’s statement, I spoke in Parliament to make the case to the Chancellor for investment in the High Peak to help unite and level up the country.

As long as I am your local MP, I will continue to make the case for investment in the High Peak and bang the drum for our area in Westminster.

I believe we are making real progress and our area is certainly being talked about more in Parliament than it has been for a long time.

The wider proposals put forward by the Chancellor are a promising sign of his determination to deliver real change for High Peak and the rest of the country.

To help save jobs, once the job retention scheme has ended, employers will receive a one-off bonus of £1,000 for each furloughed employee who is still employed on January 31, 2021.

This is absolutely the right thing to do.

The £2 billion kickstart scheme will fund new, subsidised jobs for young people who are at risk of long-term unemployment.

Funding is being provided for employment support, training and apprenticeships to help people get the skills they need.

The Government is creating new jobs by bringing forward £8.8 billion for new infrastructure, decarbonisation and maintenance projects.

This includes 140,000 green jobs.

To get the housing market moving, the government has introduced a temporary cut in stamp duty.

Tourism and hospitality in High Peak have endured significant difficulties during the lockdown.

The easing of restrictions is welcome but I recognise that local businesses in these crucial sectors still need help.

That is why I was delighted with the cut in VAT from 20 per cent to five per cent for these sectors from the July 15 to January 12, 2021.

High Peak businesses in tourism and hospitality will also benefit from the eat out to help out scheme.

It will launch next month, giving customers at cafes, pubs and restaurants a 50 per cent discount, of up to £10 per person, on food and non-alcoholic drinks.

The discount is available for unlimited times on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays in August.

We have seen the Chancellor do whatever it takes to help people cope with the impact of coronavirus.

Paying the wages of workers, providing loans and grants to businesses, and cutting taxes, though not perfect in their design, have been essential to getting the High Peak through this.

There is no doubt that the next few months are going to be very difficult and there is no roadmap to recovery.

The Government won’t get everything right but it is on the side of places like High Peak.

Whatever the future may hold, I will continue to be a loud voice for our area in Parliament.

Robert Largan is MP for High Peak.