ROYSTON MP Oliver Heald described this week’s emergency budget as a “fair one” for the people of Crow Country.

Chancellor George Osborne unveiled his budget, aimed at reducing the national deficit, on Tuesday, and it featured a host of tax rises and spending cuts.

Mr Heald said: “It was a budget for difficult times, but there were measures in there to help people at the bottom of the income scale, with the �1,000 increase in the personal tax allowance.

“Overall I think it was a good budget and a fair one.”

Headline measures included a VAT increase to 20 per cent, and national insurance breaks for new businesses based outside the South Eastern region.

Although this excludes firms in Royston and the surrounding area, Mr Heald believes people will still feel the positive effects.

“The south east is an area which has experienced ten times more growth than other parts of the country, so this move should hopefully kick start other areas, which will have a knock-on effect for Royston,” he said.

“We have already experienced a lot of development in North Herts because people want to move where the jobs are.

“If this works out successfully we won’t have such high demand for housing which will benefit everyone.”