Reform UK - St Helens Borough

30/10/2026

29/10/2026

🤔6am: John Healey tells BBC he will bring down benefits bill before election.

8:20: Treasury dispute the story.

1pm: No10 disown it saying they have never set a target.

2pm: PM says cuts as soon as possible.

4pm: John Healey says Labour won't bring bill down this Parliament.

This is not sustainable. Ministers know this is not sustainable. Planning is surely being made for a snap General.

You can't govern like this.

28/10/2026

The OBR just dropped 200 pages on Healey's first Budget.

Tax is at a record 37.9% of GDP by 2027-28, past the old high of 37.2%.

Then it climbs every single year to 38.6%.

Frozen thresholds are doing way too much to workers since they get a pay rise, hand more of it over.

1.8x the national minimum wage now classes you as a higher tax rate payer.

Borrowing at £133bn this year. In March they said £115bn. Seven months later it's £18bn worse. And it's higher than March in every year of the forecast because neither the OBR nor treasury has a clue what they’re doing.

Debt interest at £39bn in 2019-20.

£109bn last year.

£160bn by 2031-32. £15bn of this year's bill is extra because inflation's pushing up index linked gilts, and we know the UK has a structural inflation problem, partly due to the relationship between treasury and BoE.

Headroom is £14.5bn, down from £21.7bn at the last Budget.

Keep the fuel duty freeze going and it's £10.2bn.

The OBR gives Healey a 56% chance of hitting his rule??

Debt will peak at 97.3% of GDP, still 95.6% in 2031-32. Five years and it barely moves which is completely against his fiscal demands.

How it affects you?

Growth 1% next year with gdp per capita basically the same as it has been since 2019.

Inflation 3.4% when March said 2%.

Zero real pay growth in 2027.

Living standards in 2030-31?

Just 2% above pre-pandemic.

But don't worry. You're getting a £100 council tax rebate.

28/10/2026

What would you like to see in today‘s budget?

27/10/2026

Great work

Another day in St Helens Borough, another successful Ward Blitz transformation! 🤩

Our Open Spaces Team have been hard at work across Thatto Heath over the past week👇

✨ 10 tonnes of fly-tipping removed
✨ 52 alleyways and streets swept
✨ 7 sites cleared of overgrown vegetation
✨ 2 damaged trees cleared

Plus lots more alongside the fantastic work of our Fly-Tipping, Recycling & Waste, and Highways teams, who are tackling issues to improve neighbourhoods across the borough 👏

If there's somewhere in your area that needs attention, please let us know and the team will take a look👉 sthelens.gov.uk/report-it

26/10/2026

Remembrance Sunday is a time this community come together to respectfully and lovingly Remember the lives of all lost in WWI and WWII.

To honour those who gave their lives to protect our world, country and communities we must go a step further and value all those who served, those injured, our Veterans and All those who continue to serve.

Let's all continue to come together and join in honouring them All. Newton-le-Willows Network Reform UK - St Helens Borough Reform UK Dr George Woodward - Reform UK St Helens Star Newton and Earlestown Community Group

Lest We Forget!

22/10/2026

Cllr Phil Corden - Rainford has an upcoming surgery. Please do get in touch with him if you need advice.

I am pleased to share details of my next surgery.

A huge thank-you to the trustees of Crank Recreation Ground for the use of their facilities.

I will share some additional details a little closer to the time.

21/10/2026