Special report: Budget breakdown

But what will the UK Government’s spending ideas mean for North Ayrshire?

We put that question to all the main party candidates running in Central Ayrshire and North Ayrshire & Arran seats.

Labour, SNP, the Conservatives and the Green Party were quick to let us know their opinion.

Unfortunately we had no response to our question from the Libreral Democrats or UKIP candidates.

Below are the candidates views.

Central Ayrshire Labour MP, Brian Donohoe said: “The Chancellor has told us that we are a nation in recovery but quite frankly it is a recovery of the few not the many.

“The low and middle earners are still finding themselves up to £1600 a year worse off than they were at the start of this Parliament.” “Obviously the tax reduction on high energy users will be good for businesses such as the local papermill in my constituency and as I predicted we have a two per cent cut on the duty for whisky as well as cider and other spirits which I welcome as Secretary of the All Party Scotch Whisky Group given this is only the fourth time that excise on whisky has fallen in a century.

“However I was disappointed to note there was no change to Air Passenger Duty (APD) something I had hoped would be included in this budget speech.

“All in all though I don’t think the good British public will be fooled by the Chancellor’s budget. “Tax and benefit changes since 2010 have left families on average £1,127 a year worse off because this Chancellor very much gives with one hand while taking away much more with the other.

“The Tories have given us five years of a Government which has done nothing but put more pressure on the low and middle earners of our society while helping their top earner friends and widening the gap between the rich and poor.

Central Ayrshire Conservative candidate, Marc Hope said: “This is a budget for Scotland.

“The increase in the personal allowance to £11,000 by 2017/18 will not only put an extra £4,525 into people’s pockets in comparison to 2010, but it fundamentally allows people to keep more of the money they earn, rather than the state spending it for them.

“The new tax incentives for our North Sea oil and gas industry will hopefully help to stave off the current problems and provide a welcome boost in investment and jobs into the sector.

“I particularly welcome the Chancellor’s announcement to scrap the planned rise in petrol duty.

“This will be a huge help to motorists and businesses in Irvine that rely on transportation of goods and services.

“Since 2010, we have scrapped Labour’s fuel duty escalator and as a result saved motorists an average of £7.00 each time they fill up a tank.

“This is yet another example of how our long-term economic plan is helping families, building our economy and making us the comeback country”.

North Ayrshire and Arran MP, Katy Clark said: “George Osborne’s final budget as Chancellor has highlighted the choice facing us at the next election.

“A Conservative Government committed to continuing its ideological programme of austerity which has resulted in working people being £1,600 a year worse off than they were five years ago or a Labour Government that will increase the minimum wage, freeze energy prices and invest in our communities.

“There was little in the budget which would provide comfort to families in North Ayrshire and Arran struggling with the cost of living at the current time.

“Nothing to boost wages or combat high prices. Worse still the Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecasts suggest that deeper cuts in public spending are to come.

“On May 7th we need to make sure that this disappointing budget was George Osborne’s last.” SNP candidate for North Ayrshire and Arran, Patricia Gibson, said: “The Westminster parties are pursuing ever deeper cuts which are hitting the poorest, including many people in work, the hardest. Each has an obligation to tell the electorate before 7 May exactly where the axe will fall.

“The alternative to austerity the SNP has set out shows we can have modest, real terms increases in public spending; half a percent each year would free up investment in infrastructure, employment and skills and still see the deficit and debt fall as a share of national income.

“I believe there will be mainstream support south of the border as well as in Scotland for the SNP plan to invest in jobs and growth, instead of cuts, and we can achieve it by electing a strong team of SNP MPs at the general election.” MSP for Cunninghame South, Margaret Burgess of the SNP said: ““The Tories tell us the economy is ‘sorted’, yet Scotland’s public services face being hammered by massive spending cuts.

“Last year, Labour and the Tories told us ‘stick with Westminster and all will be well’.

“Westminster now tells us the accounts are sound and the finances are recovering, so why is the Chancellor unable to protect schools and hospitals?

“And why – shamefully – have Labour signed up for this massive £30 bn of cuts?

“For Scotland this means cumulative cuts of £12 bn over the next 4 years – this is the Westminster scenario which Labour have signed up to.

“It was good that the Chancellor seems to have taken on part of the Scottish Government’s plan to boost the oil and gas sector.

“However, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon outlined a credible, sustainable alternative to the massive cuts planned bt Labour and the Tories, and had the figures to back this up.

“This alternative would see the deficit and debt fall every year, but still free up public spending across the UK with £14 bn for Scotland’s public services.

“By investing rather than simply cutting, we can boost Scotland’s economy and create jobs.” Jamie Greene, Scottish Conservative candidate for North Ayrshire and Arran said: “It is clear that the hard work of getting the country back on its feet over the last 5 years is starting to pay off.

“It is even clearer that only a strong majority Conservative government will ensure we stay on the right path to reduce the deficit and build a solid economy for our children in the years to come.

“Since 2010, as a result of changes to the personal allowance and reducing the tax on savings, the Government will have lifted 287,000 people in Scotland out of income tax altogether by 2017-18 and cut tax for 2.3 million people in Scotland.

“In the context of North Ayrshire and Arran, we have cut tax for around forty-one thousand people and taken over four thousand people out of the tax system altogether in this constituency since the last election.

“In essence, what this budget demonstrates is that if you take away the political myths surrounding the Conservatives, what we are actually doing is helping ordinary, hardworking people.

“There is no magic money tree in our plan. If you want to talk about so-called Tory cuts, then let’s talk about cuts in tax for the lowest earners in society.

“Let’s talk about cuts in red tape for small business and let’s talk about cutting the huge deficit which the last Labour government left us.

“I come from a modest background and will always support measures put in place to help people save more, earn more and give less of their hard earned money to the government.” Veronika Tudhope, the Scottish Green Party Candidate for Central Ayrshire, said: “It is galling to be told that more cuts must be made to public services while plans are afoot to renew Trident.

“This is a vanity project which will endanger us all, at great expense.

“The £100 billion it will cost could be invested in the community and benefit everyone.” Dr Philippa Whitford, the SNP candidate for Central Ayrshire, said: “George Osborne’s latest budget has once again let down the people of Scotland. His budget could have focused on delivering economic growth by tackling inequality, instead he has decided to continue with his utterly failed austerity agenda.

“It is those with least in society who are paying the most for the Tory-led coalition’s obsession with austerity cuts. But Scotland has an alternative with the SNP. “Almost one in four children in Central Ayrshire are growing up in poverty. Two in three of these children have a working parent but zero hours contracts and low wages mean they are struggling.

“Austerity is sucking money out of our local economies - meaning local businesses struggle as no one has any spare money to spend, feeding into a vicious downward spiral.

“SNP plans would see up to £180 billion freed up to end austerity and invest; protecting and improving vital public services, like our NHS. We can continue to tackle the deficit while taking the strain off those who have been hit the hardest by austerity - but only if the SNP have a strong team forcing progressive politics on to the agenda at Westminster.

“Labour’s tired old claims that only a vote for Labour can kick out the Tories simply doesn’t wash anymore - look what happened in 2010. Scotland needs strong voices at Westminster, not the usual suspects from the Scottish Labour branch office making up the numbers.”