FOR three months the people of Reeves Street have been living a nightmare – in fear of next week’s Halloween Budget.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is this weekend making final preparations for her first Autumn Statement.
Paul TongeDave Sargent, 59, who runs the local pub, believes soaring energy costs & alcohol duties may finally kill off his business[/caption]
Paul TongeTaxi driver Mohammed, 53, said taxes are already so high that he has to drive his minicab from early morning until late at night[/caption]
And as seven out of ten people say they feel worried about Wednesday’s Budget, we visited a street near Walsall that shares its name with Labour’s key player.
Bloxwich — one of the poorest districts in the West Midlands — has suffered hard times as its traditional engineering firms and foundries closed.
Reeves Street boasts 15 houses, a garage, a building firm, two residential care homes, a cab rank, a closed-down Indian restaurant and a local boozer.
Dave Sargent, 59, took over the street’s pub, The Hatherton Arms, three years ago and turned it into a popular community hub.
But he believes soaring energy costs, alcohol duties, income tax and business rate rises may finally kill off his business.
‘We’re being screwed’
Landlord Dave’s message to Rachel Reeves is: “Stop killing the pub trade — we’re under enough pressure as it is.
“It seems they want to close every little pub down. They are doing nothing for us — we’re being screwed to the ground.”
The married father-of-four, who packs in punters with karaoke, bingo and live DJ nights, says his energy costs alone are now £1,000 a month.
He also fears rises in alcohol duty will force him to increase his prices beyond the reach of punters, who have already been taxed to the hilt on their income.
Dave says: “You’ve got the cost of fuel and the tax on beers. The cost of electricity and gas is phenomenal.
“I’m paying £1,000 a month here just for electricity and we have to scrimp and scrape to make that £1,000.
“Trying to ban smoking in the pub garden was a ridiculous idea — thank goodness it looks like that is now being delayed or scrapped. It’s bad enough for landlords as it is. It’s bleak for us because we are working on a small margin, and if it gets to a stage when what I take at the till is below what is acceptable for the hours I’m putting in, I will have to finish.”
I never expected Labour to be as hard on everyone as they have been
Dave Sargent
On July 4, Labour’s Valerie Vaz won the Walsall and Bloxwich seat, where the Tory vote was split by Reform and an independent, Aftab Nawaz.
Dave says: “I’ve never voted for Labour and I didn’t vote at all this year because I thought they were all as bad as each other.
“But I never expected Labour to be as hard on everyone as they have been.
“It’s promises, promises — and I think it’s going to get worse over the next four years. It’s a nightmare.”
Pensioners Stephen and Julie Barnett, who own their terraced house on Reeves Street, are Tory voters who ignored the last election after becoming disillusioned with the Conservatives.
They are horrified by Labour’s first three months in power and fear their £300 Winter Fuel Allowance will be axed because their income takes them over the Pension Credit threshold.
If I had Rachel Reeves here now, I’d say get on to the energy suppliers and start taxing them heavily and subsidising us
Retired mechanic Stephen Barnett
They also worry that the £1,200-a-year tax bill on their combined public and private pensions will increase because earnings thresholds are being frozen, possibly past 2028, and the Triple Lock will push them into a higher tax band,
Ex-school worker Julie, 66, says: “I suppose they call us wealthy pensioners, but we’re not really.”
Retired mechanic Stephen, 68, says: “If I had Rachel Reeves here now, I’d say get on to the energy suppliers and start taxing them heavily and subsidising us. I left school at 15 and have worked all my life. I used to do 44 hours a week. You would think that after all those years of paying into the system, they would leave you alone. But they don’t. They still want their pound of flesh. Starmer ain’t a politician — he’s a policeman.”
Jamie Harper and wife Sue run a thriving family building firm, Alvaston Loft Conversions, from a unit in Reeves Street.
Paul TongeCare worker Tammy Field, 37, struggles to cover the cost of feeding her four children[/caption]
He wants the Chancellor to stay away from hikes in income tax, VAT, company tax and National Insurance because companies and their workers just cannot afford to pay more.
Jamie, 59, who employs 15 highly skilled staff, fears Angela Rayner’s workers’ rights package will take control away from business leaders.
He continues: “It is the tax that worries me — everyone seems to be working just to pay the tax man.
“Labour always increase tax and spending — that’s what they’re about — and it looks like they are going to increase them again next week.
‘We can’t go on’
“We can’t afford it. We have only just recovered from Covid. There are all sorts of problems in the world and we can’t hope to pay for them all.”
Jamie adds: “You have got to look after your own country’s interests first.”
Taxi driver Mohammed Choudhury, 53, who lives on Reeves Street, said taxes are already so high that he has to drive his minicab from early morning until late at night.
People who work pay too much tax and there are others on benefits who get too much
Care worker Tammy Field
The dad-of-five says: “Business is not good. It’s gone down in the past few years and we’re paying too much in tax.
“Sometimes I can do just one job an hour and that will be a £5 fare, but after tax and petrol costs, I’ll maybe make £2.60. It is not enough.
“I want to tell Rachel Reeves to cut taxes — we can’t go on like this.”
Care worker Tammy Field, 37, struggles to cover the cost of feeding her four children, aged 12 to 20.
She says: “People who work pay too much tax and there are others on benefits who get too much.
“It’s hard just paying for food in the shops and gas and electricity.
“My eldest daughter’s going to have a baby, so we’re going to have another mouth to feed. I’m also worried about my nan and grandad. They’re going to lose their Winter Fuel Payments.
“Labour should be looking after ordinary people like us, not the ones who have all the money.”
Additional reporting: Cyril Dixon
ReutersChancellor Rachel Reeves is this weekend making final preparations for her first Autumn Statement[/caption]