‘I’d like the chancellor to put more money in consumers’ pockets’ – business ownerpublished at 07:03 GMT
Emma Vardy
Reporting from Bradford
The sun’s not up yet over Bradford as people are waking up across the UK’s 2025 city of culture on Budget day.
Bradford’s been enjoying a year long celebration of its arts scene and the city’s diversity.
But this is a place that also faces real challenges, the city has some of the UK’s highest levels of deprivation, and child poverty.
At a food pantry where groceries are sold at a subsidised rate, hopes to see the two-child benefit cap scrapped were on people’s minds.
It’s a controversial change to some, but if more low-income families could claim increased benefits for more than two children, it’s a change that charities say would prevent many Bradford children living in poverty.
Business challenges
Elsewhere in the city, one business owner who’s seen many budgets come and go is Saleem Kader, owner of Bombay stores, a fixture in Bradford since the 1960s.
Like many business owners, he’s still feeling the effects of last year’s budget, which saw significant tax rises for employers, the rise in National Insurance contributions making it more expensive to take on staff.
“We’ve seen a steady increase in costs for the business, at the same time we’ve seen reluctance from customers, their spending power’s reduced,” Saleem told BBC Breakfast.
“So what I’d like to hear from the chancellor today are measures that would actually put more money in consumers’ pockets.”
We’re live all morning on BBC Breakfast to hear what people are hoping to hear from Rachel Reeves and getting their reaction later on.
