HELEN Jones MP has praised Labour colleague Gordon Brown after the Chancellor revealed his controversial budget last week.

The Warrington North MP believes that increased spending on public services will benefit local schools, while families receiving child benefit will also be better off.

"Spending on education is rising to its highest ever level," she said. "This can only be good news for schools in Warrington.

"There is also good news for families with child benefit set to rise to £30 a week.

"By 2010 it will be worth more than £1,000 per year - a rise of nearly 50 per cent since the Government came to power."

Mrs Jones said the measures would benefit around 4,200 families and 7,300 children in her constituency.

She also praised Mr Brown - widely tipped to succeed to Tony Blair as Prime Minister - for his performance in parliament, where he also announced tax cuts which Labour say will take more than half a million pensioners out of paying income tax.

"Gordon Brown commanded the Commons, in stark contrast to David Cameron who was lightweight," she said.

"This budget represents the best way forward for our long term prosperity. How different from when a recession under the Tories left families and businesses in Warrington paying the price."

However, Mr Brown has been criticised in some quarters for headline-grabbing measures which appear to benefit a wide range of potential voters but could leave his successor struggling.

Ian Luder, tax partner at accountants Grant Thornton, said the Chancellor was shopping around for a legacy' which would prove a fiscal straightjacket for his eventual successor'.

And Warrington's Euro-MP, Chris Davies, said Mr Brown's extra £90 tax on gas-guzzling' 4X4s was tokenism' and called for £2,000 to be levied on vehicles emitting more than 200g of carbon dioxide per kilometre.