School meals and winter fuel - your views on the Budget

Free school meals, the winter fuel allowance and stamp duty - issues that voters hope to hear about in the Budget.

In Aldershot, Hampshire, some of you have been telling about your hopes and fears.

On Wednesday, the government will deliver the 2024 autumn Budget - Labour's first in 14 years.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has warned it will involve "difficult financial decisions" as she tries to find £40bn through a mixture of savings and tax rises.

It will include big plans about spending on things like health, schools, police and other public services.

Nana Akoto is a night-time support worker with four children aged between eight and four-months-old.

She said that "it's very expensive with the cost of living" and she'd like to see the government offer free meals for school children because "children are the future".

She added that she'd like to see "more childcare for younger children so parents can go out there to work".

When asked if the budget was important, Ms Akoto said: "Very, very important, it will tell us whether we voted well or we wasted time.

"We had really high hopes that there would be change so we’re hoping for that change to come into place."

Liz Godfrey, 71, explained that the government's decision to take away the winter fuel allowance made her "really angry".

She said: "It’s very expensive, I don’t put the heating on hardly ever, I sit underneath a quilt because I can’t afford it.

"My pension doesn't cover the costs."

She added: "A lot of pensioners are in my situation, they don’t put the heating on, it’s a choice of heating or food.

"I feel that as pensioners we’re being penalised and I think the government should be looking after pensioners."

Simon Brooks, 57, an estate agent said he is expecting the government to "tax more than they previously suggested" and "it’s going to get worse before it gets better".

He explained that he doesn't mind paying taxes but that it's the "sneaky taxes I don't know about that worry me".

He said he's concerned about employer national insurance contributions, because he believes "it all filters down to the bottom, it gets to us all eventually".

Mr Brooks said he is already seeing a "huge difference" in his sector and has noticed a "drop in activity as well as enquiries".

He added: "It's tough out there" and "the whole country is on tenterhooks" waiting for the budget.

He said: "I’m worried for the state of the housing market and the confidence in it.

"I’m hoping the budget will release some information and maybe some tax breaks."

He added that he would like to see "further relief on stamp duty for first time buyers".

He believes this would "stimulate the bottom of the market where there’s a lot of uncertainty"

"Stamp duty is a huge sum of money on top of a deposit for most first time buyers," he added.

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