Spring Budget 2021 LIVE: Latest updates and what it means for Lancashire

Lancashire businesses, tourism chiefs and the "forgotten"self-employed were amongst the groups anxiously waiting to see what Chancellor Rishi Sunak announces today to help the county's battered economy.

Mr Sunak is expected to announce that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has protected more than 11 million jobs since its inception, will remain in place until autumn.

And he will also make announcements crucial to the hospitality and the tourism industries.

The North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce has urged to Chancellor to extend support to help businesses restart and rebuild; avoid tax rises that hit business confidence and growth, and provide incentives to get firms investing again.