The Who’s Roger Daltrey claims government’s budget could destroy charity sector
The Who frontman Roger Daltrey has criticised the recent budget announced by the UK government, claiming it will have a detrimental impact on the charitable sector.
Last week, Chancellor Rachel Reeves revealed her first budget since taking office at the Houses of Parliament in July. She hopes to recoup £40billion for the government through an increase in taxation, which will then be invested into the public sector.
One of the main measures introduced is an increase to the national minimum wage by 6.7 per cent to £12.21 for over-21s, which would give workers an extra £1,400 in their pocket. Furthermore, National Insurance contributions from employers are set to rise by 1.2 per cent to 15 per cent from April, 2025, which Daltrey has now condemned.
Daltrey has been a patron for Teenage Cancer Trust for over 20 years, and curated a number of concerts at the Royal Albert Hall every year for the charity until 2024. While he’s stepped back from some of his duties, Daltrey has now expressed his fears for the future of the Teenage Cancer Trust due to the rise in National Insurance contributions.
In a new interview, The Who frontman told the Daily Telegraph: “If we can’t raise more money we will have to lay people off. We have specialist nurses that are trained specifically to care for that 13-24 age group, and I don’t like to think about the consequences of this. To lose nurses would be catastrophic.”
Daltrey believes the increase in National Insurance contributions is a direct result of the government’s “ignorance”, claiming, “there is just so little thought behind it”.
He continued: “Have these politicians got no idea how much charitable work is carried out within the NHS? Charities take an awful lot of burden off the NHS, not just Teenage Cancer Trust but Marie Curie Hospices, Macmillan nurses – then the Government goes and kicks you in the balls.”
Daltrey also questioned whether the taxation scheme was “worked out on the back of a cigarette packet” as well as saying he was “incredibly angry” that the Labour government believe “throwing money at the NHS” is a suitable use of resources.
Additionally, The Who singer plans to write to the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, to invite the politician to see the work carried out by the Teenage Cancer Trust first-hand.
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations has also claimed the rise in National Insurance contributions will cost the charity sector £1.4billion per calendar year, which they have described as “devastating” and “absolutely unsustainable”
Nightlife sector condemns UK budget
Following news of the budget, the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) condemned the lack of help towards the hospitality sector.
In a statement, the NTIA’s CEO, Michael Kill, said: “We are in one of the toughest trading environments the UK has seen in decades for our sector, fraught with a legacy of challenges from previous crises. While the Chancellor has listened to our plight, the extended business rates relief is a minor concession amongst the array of tax increases and fiscal shifts, which will take some time to evaluate and consider regarding sector impacts. However, in simple terms, it is still double the contribution of the current business rates.”
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