It’s hard to believe 2025 is drawing to a close and that this is my final column of the year.

Now the dust has settled, I want to share my reflections on the Budget and what it means for Woking – as well as share some festive cheer!

The sad truth about this year’s Budget is that, while disappointing, it wasn’t surprising. It’s a sorry state of affairs when no one is shocked that this Labour Government has once again fallen short on its promises for growth and tackling the cost of living.

It’s painfully clear the Chancellor sees the problem but won’t fix it. She’s chosen to ignore the elephant in the room – that Britain is £90billion poorer because of Brexit – and further hit people’s living standards through a series of tax rises.

Allegedly, this was to fix the mess the Conservatives left – despite promising that the 2024 Budget was a one-off that would do exactly that – but it’s becoming increasingly clear that this “black hole” might not be what it seems.

Delivering a tax bombshell for millions looks far more like a choice to fund higher spending than a genuine attempt to clean up the Tories’ mess.

My biggest concern is freezing tax thresholds – whilst this isn’t explicitly raising income tax and the Chancellor can claim “promises made, promises kept”, it is effectively a stealth tax, dragging millions of people into a higher tax bracket as incomes rise.

The thresholds were first frozen by the Conservatives and now by Labour, which will make it 10 years without an increase. Ten years in which wages have grown by 43.2 per cent on average, according to the Office for National Statistics.

On top of this, the Chancellor’s plan to reduce energy costs isn’t coming into force until April 2026, despite the immediate need for relief that many people have. The Government should be far bolder and adopt the Lib Dems’ plan to halve energy bills by 2035.

This is a particularly bitter pill to swallow for the hospitality sector, a key industry in Woking employing over 2,000 people and contributing £131million to our local economy.

A cut in energy bills would provide much-needed relief to businesses hit hard – first by the pandemic and now by the new glass bottle tax – as would the Lib Dems’ call for an emergency 5 per cent VAT cut for the sector until April 2027.

One of the simplest ways to support our hospitality industry this Christmas is to get out into our community and embrace the festive cheer. Woking is home to some fantastic venues, and by enjoying what they have to offer you’ll be helping local businesses thrive.

Have a wonderful Christmas to those celebrating, and a happy, restful New Year. I look forward to updating you again when I’m back in Westminster in January.

And finally – huge congratulations to Lando Norris on securing his maiden Formula One World Championship, and to McLaren for clinching their first Drivers’ and Constructors’ double since 1998.

I managed to get them to celebrate in the town last year, and I still remember their victory parade through Woking with Mika Hakkinen in 1998, so I’ll be pushing to see another parade this time around!

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