In this week's MP column, David Williams, MP for Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove, discusses the Budget and reflects on the past year as Christmas and the New Year approaches.

As we approach Christmas and the New Year, I want to look back on a year that has brought real change to our communities.  

After years of stagnation, we finally have a Government focused on stability, fairness and rebuilding the services people rely on every day. 

This month's Budget was a landmark moment. The Chancellor delivered a plan rooted in the priorities of working people. 

From April, the average household energy bill will fall by £150—an important step at a time when family budgets are still squeezed. 

Rail fares will be frozen for the first time in 30 years, prescription charges will be frozen for those who rely on them, and the Government has maintained its pledge not to raise Income Tax, Employee National Insurance or VAT for working families.  

Stability matters, and after years of uncertainty, people deserve nothing less. 

The minimum wage will also rise significantly, worth more than £1,500 a year to those on the lowest pay in our area. 

And I am proud that the Government has abolished the two-child benefit cap, a policy that pushed so many children into hardship. 

This change will lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty nationwide and give thousands of families across Stoke-on-Trent and Kidsgrove fairer support. 

One of the most significant victories in this year's Budget was the return of the £2.3 billion Investment Reserve of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS) to mineworkers. 

This follows on from last year's major reform of the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme, which ensured that a larger share of surpluses went directly to former miners and their widows rather than the Treasury. 

Taken together, these two decisions amount to the most substantial improvement in miners' pension rights in a generation. 

Now, thousands of families across North Staffordshire and the wider coalfield will see the financial security they earned through a lifetime of contribution. 

More broadly, this has been a very strong year for pensioners. The State Pension will rise by 4.8% thanks to the full protection of the Triple Lock—something the Chancellor reaffirmed in the Budget. 

Winter Fuel Payments remain in place for those who need them most, the Warm Home Discount continues to support low-income households. 

For many pensioners I meet, stability and security are the two things they value above all. This Government is delivering both. 

Alongside this, our NHS—left in crisis after years of Conservative mismanagement—is finally starting to recover. 

Labour has already delivered 5 million more appointments and begun to bring down waiting lists.  

Now, with new investment promised, we will see more modern technology in hospitals and the creation of 250 new Neighbourhood Health Centres, meaning quicker care closer to home. Rebuilding the NHS will take time, but important progress has already been made. 

All these achievements are underpinned by responsible economic management. Under the Conservatives, the national debt doubled to almost £3 trillion. 

Under Labour, debt will fall and the country is on course to move back into surplus by the end of the Parliament. Responsible decision-making is what allows us to invest in schools, hospitals, transport and decent jobs. 

This year has also brought important new laws to protect people's rights and strengthen our communities.  

The Renters' Rights Act, passed earlier this autumn, finally delivers long-overdue security for tenants by ending no-fault evictions, improving basic standards, and creating a fairer, more balanced system after years of instability. 

It has been an honour to serve our area during this first full year of real change. Stoke-on-Trent and Kidsgrove finally have a Government and a Member of Parliament working in the same direction—focused on rebuilding, not managing decline; on delivering, not dividing. 

As Christmas approaches, I want to thank everyone across our communities for your kindness, resilience and generosity. 

This season brings joy for many, but it can also be a difficult time, and I ask everyone to look out for neighbours, friends and loved ones. 

I wish you and your family a peaceful Christmas and a healthy, hopeful New Year.