LAURA’S LETTERS #2: this budget will deliver the change aylesbury constituency voted for

Last week’s Budget was a big moment for us on the Labour benches.

Of course, we had to make a number of tough choices, but I'm really proud of the decisions our Chancellor Rachel Reeves made to invest in our public services and get them working for people again.

In my column this week, I wanted to share four highlights for people living in Aylesbury and the villages. I think they'll start to make a real difference to our area.

The first is the huge commitment that we've made to the NHS - the biggest injection of money into the NHS since 2010. That investment means that we can take forward our commitment to get waiting lists down.

There are also investments in surgical equipment and in scanners for early diagnosis, and there's a specific budget for mental health, which I'm particularly excited about. The second point is the investment that we've made in our schools: £2.3bn of additional funding to the core schools budget, and £1bn of investment for children with special educational needs and disabilities, which I know for parents, carers and teachers just can't come soon enough.

I am committed to working with Buckinghamshire Council to ensure we deliver change to our broken SEND system locally.

The third point I'm excited about is all the infrastructure commitments, including the commitment to East-West Rail - I will continue to push for the Aylesbury Spur to link up to that. We've also invested £500m to fix the potholes in our roads.

And finally, fourth, the increase to the National Minimum Wage. Of course it was a Labour government that first introduced the minimum wage. That's now gone up to £12.21 per hour, which will mean an additional £1,400 per year for the average full-time worker on their payslip.

There's a lot to look forward to. We've made those financial commitments that will allow us to turn our manifesto pledges into a reality.

As ever, if you do have any questions or feedback, please do get in touch via my email address, laura.kyrkesmith.mp@parliament.uk. Thank you.