The Family

Becci Whitehead, 21, lives in a rented house in Abingdon with her fiance Dan Neale, 26, and their three-year-old daughter Gracie, pictured with Miss Whitehead.

She works as a dance teacher in primary schools and is currently studying for a qualification in access to healthcare.

Mr Neale owns his own disco business, called Future Discos.

She said: “We both have to use our cars to get to work and college. It costs me £50 a week to get to college every week now. I’ve thought about getting the bus, but it’s just too easy to get in your car. I’m relieved the fuel duty has been cut, but what is 1p going to do? It has gone up so much, I’m not sure what difference that will make to us.

“We rent our house. We were hoping to get on the property ladder, but the deposit was just too much. I’m not sure about the housing scheme. This country is obssessed with buying but in other countries in Europe, they are fine to rent.

“The delay in air fare tax doesn’t really affect me. We had a big holiday to Florida last year and that will last us for a few years.”

The Publican

THE freezing of alcohol duties in the Budget will in reality translate as a 7.5 per cent rise next week.

That is because the Chancellor did not scrap the so-called beer escalator, which is running at two per cent above inflation, now 5.5 per cent.

Hamish Stoddart, managing director of the North Aston-based Peach Pub Company, which has 13 pubs including The Fishes in North Hinksey, said: “The duty hike will come on top of price rises from suppliers that always come about this time of year. The increase for the customer could be about 20p a pint.”

Taxi driver

Alan Woodward, the secretary of the City of Oxford Licensed Taxi Association, said: “I didn’t make an awful lot of it. The fuel duty cut is only four-and-a-half pence per gallon.

“We have cabs doing 23 or 24 miles to the gallon, so it’s not going to reduce costs that much. It doesn’t go far enough.

“There should be a lower fuel duty rate for taxis and hauliers, like there is for bus firms.”

the Pensioner

Anita Fisher, 64, is retired and lives in a council flat in The Slade, Oxford.

“It was not good news for pensioners or bad news for pensioners.

“The cut in fuel duty won’t affect me much.

“I don’t drive now, I used to drive when it was cheaper.

“It seemed to be all about kick-starting business and jobs, things like that.

“There was help for first-time buyers and that will affect my grandchildren.

“I think the Chancellor was right to focus on younger people rather than pensioners. There are so many youngsters out of work.”

The Small Business

PHIL Lacey, operations director at Milton Park-based precision engineering firm LTi Metaltech, welcomed the Chancellor’s pledge to put manufacturing and technology industries at the centre of a “plan for growth”.

He said: “It was good to hear Mr Osborne say the country must become a world leader in renewable energy and manufacturing. For too long, manufacturing has been treated as a poor relation to other sectors of industry.

“The news the Government is to fund 12 technical colleges, together with 40,000 new apprenticeships is also extremely good news. The ability to take on highly-skilled staff is critical to our ongoing success.”The Small Business

The Shopkeeper

PUPINDER Ghatora, owner of the Woodlands Pharmacy, in Botley Road, Oxford, said: “It’s tough out there with the NHS rationalising drug provision, and cutting between £10,000 and £20,000 off the bottom line every quarter.

“But a tiny help for us will be the scrapping of the fuel escalator. We have four drivers, out delivering every day, and fuel costs are spiralling.”

Her added: “Unfortunately, my company is probably too big to benefit from the small business rate relief holiday announced by the chancellor.”

College Principal Sally Dicketts, principal of Oxford & Cherwell Valley College, said: “There were some good bits but I’m very disappointed they have not tackled the educational maintenance allowance.

“The allowance, which has been scrapped, of £30 a week to students from low-income families, helped them pay for transport to college.

“We were hoping a replacement scheme would be in the Budget.

“The positives are the 40,000 additional apprenticeship places and the money for work experience.”