What people in a ‘forgotten’ English town think of the budget

29 Oct 2026 What people in a ‘forgotten’ English town think of the budget Kathryn Samson Scotland Correspondent In this corner of the north east of England, where half the shops lie empty, the Chancellor’s promises of “fresh hope” in his budget proved a hard sell, writes Kathryn Samson. Share on Facebook Share Share on Twitter Tweet Share on WhatsApp Send Send with Facebook Messenger Send Share via email Email Load more share options Newton Aycliffe sprang up after the Second World War.

Heralded as a town for “hopes and dreams”, the shopping precinct was opened by a young Queen Elizabeth II. Eighty years on, the high street in this traditional Labour heartland tells a different story. We watched the budget on Beveridge Way . It was named after the social reformer, William Beveridge, whose work helped develop the welfare state. Half the shops lie empty here, the banks have moved out of town – and promises of “fresh hope” from Chancellor John Healey proved to be a very hard sell. ‘We are just forgotten’ Inside a community cafe serving hot meals for under £5, two women we spoke to summed up a general feeling of frustration in this corner of the north east of England.

“We’re just nobody up here and never have been,” one woman, pictured below , said. “We are just forgotten. The place that nobody knows,” said the other. Over affordable lunches and warm cups of tea, people tried to digest a budget that promised breathing space. Energy costs The £100 payment to help with energy bills for people in council tax bands A-D was met with shrugs. Nobody felt it would make a significant difference when prices are already so high and set to rise again next year.

There was a warmer response to the decision to scrap standing charges on gas. Brenda, who is retired and lives alone, told us it would make a difference for her. “I don’t have the gas on as much as I should have because I am just trying to save, so this should help,” she said. Unfortunately, with the fixed cost shifted onto the gas unit rate, large families or people who need to keep the heating on for health reasons may end up paying more.

Counting the costs We take a short drive to Planet Leisure, a multi-purpose entertainment and hospitality business. Families on middle incomes were also counting costs as they tried to keep children busy over the school holidays. “They give with one hand and take away with another,” said one father, who was unimpressed with the short-term fixes the Chancellor had outlined. Anger at the “ridiculously expensive” price of fuel and the cost of food were his main concerns. ‘Gherkin tax relief’ The business is owned by Darren Peckitt, pictured below , who says it has been a struggle to balance rising utility costs, national insurance payments and the impact of minimum wage rises for younger workers.

He was unhappy about another inflation-linked increase in alcohol duty and felt there wasn’t much in this budget for him. “I was impressed with the gherkin tax relief,” he said with a wry smile. “I am thinking we can reduce the price of a burger by a penny. Unfortunately, we’ve got 2p a pint to go on top of that.” Smaller retail and leisure businesses in England have been offered some rate relief. The threshold is being increased from £12,000 to £18,000, which might help a few shops on the high street as they struggle with other costs.

No huge shocks While many would have liked this budget to go much further, there were no huge shocks. In a community that has felt let down by politicians of all parties over the years, there was also a fear that more significant pain was being delayed until after the winter – and could resurface at next year’s spending review. Share on Facebook Share Share on Twitter Tweet Share on WhatsApp Send Send with Facebook Messenger Send Share via email Email Load more share options Topics Budget 2026 , Energy , Energy bills , John Healey , Politics , UK , UK , UK budget