Chancellor Philip Hammond said little about the East of England during his budget speech, but in a statement released by The Treasury later he said it would be good for the region.

He said the region should benefit from £13m being spent across the country for flood information schemes and there would be full fibre computer connections to all Suffolk’s public buildings.

He said: “My Budget sends a clear message to the people of the East of England – your hard work is paying off and austerity is coming to an end.

“Thanks to our careful stewardship of the economy the public finances are in a much stronger position and national debt is falling.

“This means we have more money to invest in Britain’s future – boosting local services, supporting our high street, backing business and fuelling the economy.”

He also said towns in the region would benefit from the new High Streets Action Plan cutting business rates for small retailers.