East of England workers hope for help with living costs in Budget

Hotel general manager Vicki Hart said buying a house was her main priority

Workers in the East of England have been talking about their hopes for the 2025 Budget.

BBC Politics East spoke to people in the hospitality trade, an engineering firm and service sector ahead of Wednesday's announcement.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to raise taxes, and said she would make the "necessary choices" for the economy, to bring down NHS waiting lists, the national debt and the cost of living.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the Budget was unravelling before it had even been delivered, after the chancellor backed away from raising income tax rates.

Vicki Hart, general manager of the Royal Hotel in Clacton, Essex, said the cost of living crisis had hit her.

"I feel I'm not receiving the rewards of working hard," she said.

"A lot of people I know are being given houses. They are not working.

"Whereas for me, I am working over 50 hours every week and, working in hospitality, they are not very sociable hours. It's a lot of work and no play."

She said she wanted to buy a house but it was hard to get on the housing ladder.

"A house is my main priority. I am nearly 27, so that is the next thing I want to do in my life but can't seem to get on the ladder on my own."

Royal Hotel owner Jason Smedley criticised the government's increase in the rate of National Insurance paid by businesses

The hotel's owner Jason Smedley said he had let go of eight staff due to the minimum wage for 18-year-olds, which he described as "not sustainable".

"We cannot sustain the costs the government are putting on us. We need a lot more support," he said.

South Norfolk Council refuse workers Mervin Pyman and Mike Holt are part of the 18 crews covering the district, an area with 67,000 properties.

Mike can walk up to 10 miles (16km) a shift, while driver Merv clocks up about 150 miles (241km) in his vehicle.

South Norfolk Council refuse collection driver Merv Pyman says he does not always feel appreciated

The government says it wants to prioritise working people. So do Merv and Mike feel a priority?

Merv said: "When Covid was going on, we were very much the priority because we continued working all the time.

"But once everything got back to normal, all that disappeared.

"We are providing a service even if it is not always appreciated."

Refuse worker Mike Holt says he does not think politicians "live in the real world"

Mike said: "We are in the lower band of the wage structure, so things are a struggle. A lot of the guys at the yard have two other jobs.

"Taxes are going up. Everything is going up, including food."

He said politicians "haven't got a clue".

"They don't live in the real world, do they? They are not up at 04:30 in the morning."

Darren Sharpe is a steel fabricator with GK Engineering in Basildon

Darren Sharpe, a steel fabricator with GK Engineering and Design in Basildon, Essex, said: "We have not had a pay rise for years, they simply can't afford it.

"I am definitely worse off than five years ago."

The firm's director Matt Kimber said: "We've got constant uncertainty right across our business.

"We have had Conservative chaos for the last however-many years and now we have Labour incompetence causing us more chaos."

An HM Treasury spokesman said: "We are a pro-business government that has capped corporation tax at 25%, the lowest rate in the G7.

"We're reforming business rates, have secured trade deals with the US, EU and India, and have seen interest rates cut five times since the election, benefiting businesses in every part of Britain.

"The decisions we took at the Budget last year mean we have been able to deliver on the priorities of the British people, from investing in the NHS to cutting waiting lists and putting more money in their pockets, with a wage boost for millions, as we deliver on the Plan for Change."

Matt Kimber is the director of GK Engineering and Design of Basildon

BBC Politics East will be broadcast on Sunday 23 November at 10:00 GMT on BBC One in the East of England, and will be available after broadcast on BBC iPlayer.