In his column this month, Councillor Maurice Corry discusses the harm that will be caused by the new Labour government's budget.

There is no doubting that people voted for change at the General Election in July.

However, I don’t think Labour’s brutal budget is the change they had in mind when doing so.

Labour’s nightmare Hallowe'en Budget represented a shameful betrayal of hard-working people and businesses across this country.

In typical socialist fashion, the chancellor believes that the answer to our economic struggles is to increase taxes across the board.

Here in Helensburgh and across the Argyll and Bute communities I serve, that will be keenly felt.

One measure that I am particularly angry about is the introduction of a Family Farm Tax.

That now means that inheritance tax will have to be paid on agricultural and business assets over £1 million.

Labour said last year that they had no intention of making any changes to agricultural property relief, but now they have shamefully broken that promise to our farmers.

Steve Reed, Labour’s DEFRA secretary even says he is now proud of the changes. What an insult to our hard-working farmers.

Our rural communities in Argyll and Bute have already borne the brunt of the SNP’s failures over the last 17 years and now Labour has shown their contempt for the sector as well.

Their disastrous changes put the future of the family farm at risk and will make succession planning so much harder.

In addition, they put our food security at risk. Without farmers there is no food and ultimately Labour’s cruel Family Farm Tax, could put up the prices for people in the supermarket as well.

Perhaps we should not have been surprised given that Labour had fewer than 100 words to say on farming in their election manifesto.

Labour need to show some common sense and restore this relief as a matter of urgency if we are to protect the family farm going forward.

They are now acutely aware of the anger among farmers and the wider public on their Family Farm Tax.

More than 50,000 have signed a petition led by the Conservatives, and more than 120,000 have signed one started by the National Farmers Union.

A rally is planned by the NFU on Westminster later this month and I know my party colleagues are bringing this up in Parliament at every opportunity.

Farming is so crucial to our local economy here and we should be doing all we can to encourage the sector to grow and for people to continue to live and work in our rural communities.

Instead, Labour’s changes have pulled the rug from under them. We are proud to be on the side of our farmers and hard-working people across the country.

This is a Budget that hammers strivers, does nothing for growth and shows that Labour cannot be trusted to keep their promises.