UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a budget aimed at easing the cost of living for Scottish families and strengthening local industry. The package removes the two‑child benefit cap, giving 95,000 children a benefit boost funded by fraud checks and gambling tax increases. It also offers a £150 cut in energy bills, a fuel‑duty freeze and rises to the National Living Wage (4.1 %) and National Minimum Wage (8.5 %). The budget adds £820 million for Scottish public services and funds for industry: £14.5 million for Grangemouth’s low‑carbon hub, £20 million for Inchgreen’s dry‑dock upgrade, £20 million for Kirkcaldy town‑centre redevelopment and £25 million for the Forth Green Freeport. Additional measures include pension increases and a youth guarantee placement programme.
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https://www.gov.uk/government/news/reeves-tackles-cost-of-living-and-backs-scottish-industry-at-budget
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