LOCAL councils will able to access a new £675 million fund to help redevelop their high streets, it has been announced today.

Chancellor Philip Hammond delivered his third budget today as he vowed – on numerous occasions – that “austerity is coming to an end”.

Among the announcements was that the government will provide £675 million to create a “future high streets fund”.

The Conservative Chancellor also announced that all companies with rateable value of £51,000 or less will see their business rates bill cut by one third.

Following the announcement, St Helens North MP Conor McGinn said he will be seeking clarity from government as to how much of the new fund will make its way to St Helens.

Mr McGinn said: “While I welcome the government’s new-found interest in renewing our high streets, I’ll be seeking clarity from the government about how much of this is new money, and how much will be allocated to towns like St Helens and Newton-le-Willows.

“We must also ensure that any proposed business rates relief – which will be a welcome boost for our small shops and cafés  – is funded by Whitehall, not the town hall.

“Over the last eight years, the Tories have taken billions out of our public services and from the pockets of working people.

“St Helens has been disproportionately burdened with those cuts and a reduction in wages and living standards.

“If this Budget means even the smallest fraction of the money taken is being returned, I will be holding this government to account and fighting to make sure that our community gets its fair share.”

The Chancellor announced around £700 million will also be made available for councils, for social care for the elderly and those with disabilities.

He also revealed schools would be able to access a one-off £400 million fund  to pay for the “little extras”, a comment that has drawn ire from the St Helens MP.

Mr McGinn said: “Rather unbelievably, the Chancellor also said he was announcing a ‘funding bonus’ for schools to help buy “the little extras”.

“Does he think teachers and books are ‘little extras’?

“Because that’s what local schools tell me they can’t afford because of Tory cuts to their funding, which has seen £2 billion in real terms cuts to schools nationally.”

The Chancellor confirmed an extra £20.5 billion will be made available to the NHS over the next five years.

Included in this will be an extra £2 billion a year for mental health services, which will help fund new mental health crisis centres to provide support in every accident and emergency unit in the country.

An extra £420 million will be made available to local authorities for potholes, which is on top of an existing fund of almost £300 million.

Local authorities were also given a helping hand with the announcement of mandatory business rates relief for public lavatories.

Despite the chancellor claiming on numerous times during his Budget speech that “austerity  is coming to an end”, Mr McGinn said nothing announced can undo the impact of previous cuts.

The Labour MP said: “After eight years of Tory austerity, people in St Helens are more than ever feeling the effects of the swingeing cuts to our schools, NHS, policing and local government services.

“Nothing announced today by the Chancellor can undo the impact these cuts have had on our community and families right across the borough.”