GEORGE Osborne freely admits his hairstyle is an attempt to cover his thinning locks.

And as he waded through his Budget to recede the UK's economic worries, some North-East business leaders lamented he was merely brushing over the main issues too.

This was a Budget, Mr Osborne proclaimed, that will work fix the UK's roof while the sun shines.

Last year, the Chancellor's focus was on creating an aspiration nation.

This time resilience was his new key factor.

But he's been there before.

The 2012 Champions League final in Germany to be precise.

When the Chelsea fan summed up his team's victory over Bayern Munich, he cheered: “In football, as in politics, resilience pays off.”

The jeers he received when taking his feet in the House of Commons yesterday were just like something from the football terraces, and some of the reaction to his Budget was equally dismissive.

“Rubbish”, said Amanda Vigar, managing partner of accountants V&A Vigar (Darlington), when speaking of Mr Osborne's decision to reduce taxes on business investment, allowing manufacturers to invest up to £500,000 tax free until at least 2015.

The move aims to increase firm's investment in machinery and equipment.

Yet it didn't get full approval from Ms Vigar, who was speaking at Budget Live!, in Teesside University's Darlington campus.

The event, hosted by Tees Valley Unlimited, included a number of panellists and more than 100 North-East business leaders.

Ms Vigar said: “It's good to see him encouraging investment, but how many small businesses have £500,000 to spend?

“They are not getting to see the benefit of that.

“It will help the bigger businesses but take years for it to trickle through to the rest.”

He may not have got full support in the Commons either.

As the TV cameras panned the room for MP's reactions, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Iain Duncan-Smith was frequently shown on screen.

The pair have allegedly clashed in the past with Mr Osborne reportedly claiming Mr Duncan-Smith is not clever enough to be a Cabinet minister, something Mr Osborne has denied.

As that played out, the intelligence of Mr Osborne's move to overhaul tax rules for savers and pensioners was given great scrutiny at the event.

His decision to extend capital allowance in enterprise zones for another three years and introduce a £7bn package to cut energy bills for manufacturers got a more positive reaction.

David Smith, economics editor of The Sunday Times, said the savings tactic struck as a political move to sway older voters.

He said: “The big idea were the things for savers and the cash ISA.

“That is the rabbit out of the hat in this Budget.

“But you have to look at the politics and the breadth of the Budget, and by giving pensioners incentives, it could be seen to be an attempt to close off those who may vote for UKIP in the next election.”

Anne Elliott, a partner at Latimer Hinks Solicitors, in Darlington, also spoke about the pension changes.

She said: “Is it going to encourage people to retire early or is it intended to get the older population our because they have got the freedom of savings pots?

“He had to do something for the pensioners and cannot help but give a bit of a feel-good factor for the people in the middle.

“It was the most exciting part of the Budget.”

Stephen Catchpole, managing director of Tees Valley Unlimited local enterprise partnership, added: “Given that we have some high energy users and emissions in the region, the £7bn to help is beneficial.

“We have got a strong enterprise zone and are attracting companies and jobs to the region.

“Anything that makes companies want to come here and take advantage of the skills we have, rather than going abroad, is only a good thing.”