CHANCELLOR Philip Hammond’s budget delivered something for everyone in the Bridgwater and West Somerset constituency, Conservative MP Ian Liddell-Grainger said.

With help for everything from air ambulances to traders hit by high business rates, the Chancellor’s blueprint was one which would win approval in many quarters, he said.

Mr Liddell-Grainger particularly welcomed the additional £20 billion to be spent on the NHS over the next five years and the £700 million additional allowances to local authorities to improve care for the elderly and disabled.

“In an area like West Somerset where we have the highest proportion of pensioners per head of population of any district in the country, it is clear issues involving the health service and care of the elderly are of overriding importance,” he said.

“I know local people will be relieved that their concerns have been listened to and acted upon.

“Even the relatively modest amount of £10 million for the air ambulance services is going to make a difference.

“At a time when land-based ambulance crews are struggling to cope with rapidly growing workloads, air ambulances are playing a vitally important role on a daily basis getting help to people in remote areas such as Exmoor, and it’s only right the Government should make some kind of gesture of thanks to the charities that run them.”

Mr Liddell-Grainger said reductions in business rates would go part way towards relieving some of the financial pressures on town centre businesses hit by rising overheads and a general surge in online shopping.

“Clearly much, much more needs to be done by way of thinking how we’re going to help traditional town centres cope with changing habits – but I am delighted with this signal that the problem has at least been recognised and appreciated,” he said.

“Equally, the fact that cash is going to be released for road repairs will come as a massive relief to people in country areas who have seen the standard of the local road network deteriorate sometimes to dangerous levels over the last few years because of cuts in the county council’s repairs programme.”

Mr Liddell-Grainger, who chairs the all-party Parliamentary Cider Committee, said he was heartened by the duty freeze on traditional cider and entirely content with the inflation-linked increase in white cider duty that would take effect from next year.

“I believe we have at last got the message through to the Treasury that there is a world of difference between traditional cider making, which creates jobs in rural areas and maintains massive acreages of wildlife havens, and something cooked up in some back street for the binge drinkers using industrial spirit, fizzy water and imported apple pulp,” he said.

“That kind of product benefits no-one except the company that makes it and in fuelling binge drinking merely adds to the burden on and running costs of the NHS.

“Some form of discrimination against white ciders is long overdue.”