Last week’s Budget, delivered by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, was one of optimism and ambition.

The Budget’s content was widely welcomed by the country – and it certainly re-affirmed to me why I am proud to be a Conservative.

Central to the Budget was protecting and supporting Welsh households and businesses, whilst simultaneously balancing the books and continuing to tackle the huge challenges we face.

Inevitably some detractors will accuse the government of pursuing ideological beliefs, but this is fundamentally misguided; we need a strong economy to be able to deliver vital public services and other initiatives. Currently we are seeing results.

The World Bank has announced that our country is the ‘best placed to do business with’ and the ‘best place to invest’; we have not entered recession; and our economy will continue to plough ahead, with the unemployment rate rising by less than 1%.

So, what does the Budget mean for you?

As a parent and grandparent, I know just how beneficial the UK Government’s new initiative to help parents will be. Working families in England will have access to 30 hours free childcare per week for children aged between 9 months and 4 years. I strongly urge the Welsh Government to use the money given to it.

I also welcome the decision to extend the energy support package for an additional three months, meaning families’ energy bills which were expected to rise to £3,000 per annum will be kept to an average of £2,500.

Once again, it is the Conservatives who are working to deliver on the people’s priorities, growing the economy and making sure hard work pays off.