Will the Budget pass Burnham's Makerfield test?

Karen Jones hopes the Budget will help people keep more of the money they earn

On a wet Tuesday in October, Platt Bridge Community Centre, near Wigan, is alive with the music of Shania Twain.

About 30 women and one man are line dancing to her hit Man!

I Feel Like a Woman!

The class is so popular that the centre has recently introduced an extra session to meet demand.

The community centre is in the heart of Andy Burnham's constituency, Makerfield, and they know all about budgeting here.

It is run entirely by volunteers and has recently had to raise thousands of pounds for a new roof.

Norman Smith is one of the trustees.

He says running the centre comes with tremendous financial challenges.

"It's a very old building, and sometimes the trustees feel like they're trying to keep all the plates spinning, it's very hard at times."

As well as line dancing, the centre is home to Wigan table tennis club.

It also offers a food bank and a warm space.

Smith says the centre is an essential part of the Platt Bridge community.

"No one gets paid for working here.

We have around 500 people using the centre.

Financially it couldn't run without the volunteers."

Platt Bridge is one of the most deprived parts of Wigan.

When Andy Burnham won the Makerfield by-election, he said the constituency would not be a "stepping stone" to No 10, although he went on to become prime minister.

Line dancers take part in a class at Platt Bridge Community Centre, near Wigan

Instead, he said he wanted it to be a "touchstone", with every government policy or announcement having to meet a "Makerfield test".

If it works there, it will work for other communities like it.

In his victory speech in June, Burnham said: "A Makerfield test at the heart of British politics will make sure that the places Westminster has neglected will now get fairness."

John Healey's first Budget will be a real test of that.

Will people in Ashton feel they have more or less money when they do their weekly shop?

Will a small business in Abram have more confidence to expand and take on more staff?

Zoe Billingham, from the think tank IPPR North, says the Budget will be a "balancing act" between the pressures people are facing from the rising cost of living and the economic headwinds caused by events such as the war in Iran.

She says it will be a "really important budget to show who they [the government] stand for".

She wants to know who will be asked to shoulder those economic pressures and who will receive support?

"The Makerfield test is a really valuable way of making sure that the economy works in service of ordinary people," she says.

Sue Hughes says Platt Bridge is a vibrant community which deserves support

Back at the community centre, Sue Hughes, chair of the trustees, thinks the government is already recognising the area's needs.

Platt Bridge and nearby Spring View have been awarded £20m over the next 10 years through Pride in Place funding.

"I can't complain about the support this area is being given, but more support is always welcome," she says.

"Platt Bridge is a really vibrant community, despite being so deprived.

So the community itself deserves that support."

Sophie Lowe says she had to find work closer to home because of rising petrol costs

Burnham's government has made several announcements aimed at tackling the cost of living, including a £2 bus fare cap, removing VAT on domestic electricity bills and business rates relief for pubs and live music venues.

But the prime minister recently admitted it was not enough and hinted that there could be further support in the Budget.

Sophie Lowe, 29, from Abram, has a two-year-old daughter.

She says she has not yet felt the benefit of any of Burnham's policies.