IN the wake of Wednesday's Budget announcements, the SNJ asked some of the parliamentary candidates in the forthcoming elections what they thought about Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne's plans to get "Britain walking again."

Stroud's Conservative MP Neil Carmichael, welcomed the Chancellor’s speech and outlined what it means for Stroud.

“This Budget underlines the success of the long-term economic plan in bringing growth to the economy as recognised by the OECD and other leading independent commentators.

“For Stroud, this has brought a reduction of unemployment by almost 1,000, as well as significant investment in flood defence measures, transport infrastructure and, most recently, a new University Technical College.”

And he added: “Pensioners and people at work are better off by at least £900 through a combination of state pension increases and tax reductions.”

But arguing that it was a typical Tory budget skewed towards helping those who they hope might vote for them, Labour’s David Drew said: “It was more remarkable not for what was said but what was left out of Osborne’s speech – that is support for the NHS and how they are going to make the billions of pounds worth of cuts they plan to do.”

UKIP’s Caroline Stephens was also unimpressed calling the budget a failure of the Coalition Government.

“The Labour Party took 13 years to double the debt. The Coalition Government has doubled the debt it inherited in only five years.

“This Budget confirms the total failure of the Coalition to eliminate the deficit over the course of a Parliament," she said.

And she added: “The Chancellor seems to be ignoring the impact of unlimited EU immigration on the wages and employment prospects for working people which is causing real hardship.

“Most people outside London are not seeing signs of any recovery.

" Rising house prices and travel and energy costs are real worries for so many people.”

The Liberal Democrat candidate, Adrian Walker-Smith said: “This Budget shows that the Liberal Democrats are building a stronger economy and a fairer society to create opportunity for everyone.

“We can afford to deliver these policies as a result of the action we have taken to keep departmental spending under control and from taking further steps to clamp down on tax avoidance by multinational companies and by ensuring banks make a fair contribution by increasing the bank levy.”

Green parliamentary candidate Sarah Lunnon said it was "another ConDem budget reinforcing the move to an unfair society, where the rich become wealthier.

She continued: "Instead of protecting the vulnerable and growing a low-carbon economy it offers tax breaks to some of the wealthiest corporations on the planet encouraging them to pump more fossil fuel out of the North Sea, threatening our livelihoods and the future of our families."

What are your views on the budget? Let us know at the usual addresses.