# Chloe limits her weekly shop to £40. Here's what Britons want from the Budget.
Chancellor John Healey will unveil his first Budget on Wednesday, amid government borrowing costs at what officials describe as "historic highs." The BBC spoke to people across income ranges about their financial pressures and Budget hopes.
Chloe, 40, is a single mother on £41,000 a year raising her 16-year-old son in south London. Her husband died four years ago. Though her rent is subsidised through a housing association, she struggles with rising costs. Her energy bill has jumped to about £200 a month for gas and electricity. She limits her weekly food shop to £40 and has cut back on non-essentials like cinema visits. She cannot reduce her £200 council tax bill or medication costs for conditions including rheumatoid arthritis. Chloe does not access benefits but works full-time. She wants the government to help single-parent families, asking: "Can the government do anything else to help? Something on our tax bill perhaps."
Robert Portlock, 29, lives with his parents in Gateshead and wants to move out. Rent for a small flat would consume about two-thirds of his monthly wage, before council tax, energy, food, and other expenses. He currently spends £750 a month on car finance, insurance, fuel and tax for his 32-mile commute to Newcastle Airport. He wants the chancellor to cut fuel duty and income tax, or raise the personal allowance from £12,570 to £16,000. Saving for a house "feels impossible," he says, despite a government scheme for first-time buyers with 2.5% deposits.
Emily Nelson, 19, completed her A-levels last year and cannot find work in Swindon. She wants to become an animator but is applying for retail and apprenticeships with little success. She calls the situation "suffocating." She asks for more government funding to businesses hiring young people, more training money, and an extension of the Jobs Guarantee scheme. The scheme guarantees six-month paid jobs for 18 to 24-year-olds on universal credit after 18 months of jobseeking, but Emily thinks eligibility should begin after one year.
Dave Herbert, a professional driver, spends around £350 monthly on petrol for his 62-mile commute into Cardiff from Ynysddu. He says fuel prices are up 40 to 50 per cent since the start of the year. He wants the government to "drastically remove or reduce fuel duty."
Jonathan Whitwam, 52, works in finance and supports two daughters through university. Each will graduate with £45,000 to £60,000 in debt plus compounding interest of £5,000 to £8,000 per year. He wants interest waived or capped below 1 per cent and welcomes higher taxes on people like himself for "redistribution."