THE Budget should have done more to help the NHS, social care and neglected business sectors hit hard by the pandemic, according to local leaders.

Rishi Sunak’s Budget on Wednesday set out a host of support measures including extending furlough until September, more help for the self-employed and a six-month extension to the reduced VAT rate for leisure and hospitality.

The Universal Credit uplift of £20-per-week will also be extended for a further six months and the Chancellor stressed that working Tax Credit claimants will also be given more support for the next six months, with a one-off payment of £500.

He also said the minimum wage will increase to £8.91 an hour from April.

However, Liberal Democrat borough and county councillor Alan Dowden criticised the Government for failing to specifically mention funding for the NHS after workers have been working round the clock in the battle against coronavirus. He said: “The issue for me was there was no mention in the Budget about social care, which is in a desperate state, and there was nothing in there about the NHS.”

Mr Dowden also fears the introduction of a mortgage guarantee scheme with deposits of just 5 per cent could hit buyers in the pocket if interest rates soar in the future. He added: “I think more people will feel the effects of this later on, but of course this way they [the Government] can hide it away for the moment. For first-time buyers, people may be able to take on these mortgages, but what people need to understand is if interest rates go up and, unless they take out a long-term fixed-rate mortgage, they could get caught out.”

Conservative deputy leader of Test Valley Borough Council, Nick Adams-King, argued measures in the Budget would help re-energise town centres after Covid-19 and lockdowns harming local businesses.

He said: “I thought the Budget was generally good, there was a lot in there that was helpful for town centre business and I am glad they have extended things like furlough.”

But even the local Tory was disappointed some sectors had seemingly been left out in the cold by Mr Sunak’s Conservative Government, with a lack of financial support to help them bounce back from the impact of coronavirus later in 2021. In particular he highlighted event management and wedding planning industries which might miss out in the Romsey area.

Mr Adams-King added: “The only thing I was a bit disappointed about was that some help they offered to the hospitality industry was not extended to some of the other sectors, particularly those who work in event management or are wedding planners, and I know there are quite a lot of people in Romsey who do that. They should have thought about those people, because they are falling between two stools. The industry is also quite female-dominated, so that comes back to whether there is gender equality where support has been considered.”