Business owners in South Yorkshire have given a cautious welcome to the Chancellor's Budget, saying it offers only limited help after years of rising costs. Garden centre owner Tony Airey, who employs 240 staff at Wentworth Garden Centre, said the Budget 'has maintained the status quo' and described it as 'thankful for small mercies' after the previous government's approach. Airey contrasted the outcome favourably with the final Budget under his local MP's predecessor at the Treasury, saying measures then had 'mitigate against employers taking on more staff' and accused the previous government of 'killing aspiration'. He highlighted particular frustrations, noting that the National Minimum Wage and Living Wage have risen by more than inflation, while there remains 'nothing to help with rates for sizeable businesses'.
Brewery owner Mick Warburton, who runs Chantry Brewery with 35 employees across the brewery, its in-house bar and three additional pubs, praised specific measures. He welcomed a cut in beer duty for small brewers and the raising of the business rates threshold from £12,000 to £18,000 for small businesses in retail, hospitality and leisure, calling it 'great news for us as a small brewery and good for independent small businesses'. However, Warburton warned that gains would be offset by other pressures. He said at Chantry Brewery, 'half of everything we take is going out in wages and National Insurance, compared with a third a couple of years ago'. The 3.9 per cent rise in wages will 'take away all that we gain' from the rates relief at some of the brewery's sites, he added.
Other business owners in the area expressed similar mixed reactions. Amanda Sales, who runs a small antique business in Wentworth, said the rise in the business rate threshold would 'make a huge difference' as her valuation sits just over the previous £12,000 limit. She acknowledged the government faces difficult choices, saying it is 'between a rock and a hard place'. Airey raised broader concerns about public finances, arguing that 'the state has to be cut. It's unaffordable', and pointing to the welfare system as central to addressing spending pressures.
For UK businesses, the Budget offers some targeted support through lower beer duty and higher rate thresholds, but rising wage bills and National Insurance costs mean the overall financial picture remains challenging for many employers.