Ian Sollom: Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement prioritises headlines over health

Commenting on the Autumn statement, Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for the new constituency of St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire, Ian Sollom, said:

“With his Autumn Statement Jeremy Hunt has shown how little the Conservatives care about the everyday struggles of people in St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire trying to access NHS services. There was simply nothing on offer in the chancellor’s statement to help those who can’t get an appointment with a GP or dentist, stuck on a waiting list for diagnosis or surgery, or even unable to get their medicines.

“Instead, the Chancellor fools no one with a headline grabbing reduction in National Insurance after repeated failures to increase tax rate thresholds have dragged millions into paying more tax than ever.

“Meanwhile, a paltry £2 million for dealing with water scarcity in Cambridgeshire is tokenistic and will do little to accelerate the investment in new water infrastructure we so desperately need. That the government is pushing ahead with a Cambridge Development Corporation while failing to offer anything meaningful to address the fundamentals of water and transport says everything about how the government view the area as a resource to be exploited.”