South Dorset MP Richard Drax said he wanted to hear more on how state spending was going to be cut in the budget.

He said: “I would have liked to hear a lot more about less state spending. We can’t go on affording the vast sums of money we are spending. It has to be cut.

“Most importantly we must live within what we earn.”

He said he supported abolishing the 50p top rate of tax – paid on income over £150,000 – to 45p and said 45p was the right amount to pay now when the country was going through a difficult financial time, but hoped it would reduce further.

He said that he hoped the initiatives put in place to help small businesses would ‘come off.’ Mr Drax added: “I’m all for it and greatly behind anyone trying to help small businesses.

“They are the engine room to start the economy.”

However, Mr Drax said that it was ‘a shame’ that child benefits would be taken away for families with one parent earning more than £60,0000 as he said it could affect stay-at-home mums.

It will be phased out for those with someone in the household earning more than £50,000.

He said: “It’s really a shame we tinkered with what was in my mind a very good system.”

Union have reacted with fury at plans for regional pay rates in the public sector claiming Dorset workers will get a raw deal.

Chancellor George Os-borne said he wanted to make public sector pay more “responsive” to local pay rates, saying the idea was first introduced into the court service by the previous Labour government.

Civil servants would have pay brought into line with private sector salaries in their regions in the move but unions said this would drive down wages in the poorest areas of the country including Dorset.

The TUC said a 1 per cent reduction in public sector wages would hit local economies by at least £1.7billion a year.

And vice chairman of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union at Weymouth Land Registry Andy Woodgate said: “It’s a totally illogical move. It will drive down wages in poor areas and remove money from the local economy.

“We’ve had no word if the Land Registry will be affected so it’s early days but the big question is how will the government divide up areas, will it be by county or region?

“If you link wages with the private sector it doesn’t take into account a situation like we have in Dorset where we have low wages and high house prices. It would make a bad situation worse rather than better.”

“This is just another stick to beat the public sector with.”

Secretary of the Dorset branch of the Unite union Paul Kimber said the move would be ‘disastrous.’ He added: “It’s another excuse to reduce pay.”