The Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has announced his budget proposal for the next five years – here are the main things to know.
Welfare:
The £12bn cuts to welfare will be delivered in full
The planned £4.4bn cuts to tax credit will be scrapped and no further changes will be implemented to universal credit
Local authorities will be given £10m a year to provide help for the homeless
Living allowance and housing allowance will no longer be paid to people who have left the country for more than one month
Police:
Plans to cut the police budget by 10pc will be scrapped – Mr Osborne said “this is not the time”
An extra £12bn will be provided for police equipment over the next five year
Health
The Department of Health’s budget will be cut 25per cent
NHS England to receive £6bn next year, which will go towards delivering cancer diagnosis within fours weeks, a seven-day-a-week NHS, and £600m for mental health services
Housing
Funding for “400,000 affordable new homes” to be delivered by 2020
Housing association will become part of the Right to Buy scheme
Pensions:
A £3.35 increase in basic state pensions to £119.30 a week
Social care:
Local authorities will able to increase in the social care precept of council tax by 2pc
Thirty hours free child care will be maintained only for parents working less than 16 hours a week
Transport:
There will be an £11m investment in London transport, and 50pc increase in transport projects
Education:
There will be 500 new free schools, universities and technical colleges
Energy:
A new energy scheme to save an average of £30 a year in households energy bills
Environment and energy departments budgets to be cut by 15pc and 22pc respectively
Business:
There will be 26 new enterprise zones created throughout Britain
Local authorities will be allowed to cut or raise business rates
New penalties on tax avoidance will hope to raise £5bn
Culture:
Free entry to museums and galleries will be maintained
Read about how these measures will impact on the borough in Friday’s Recorder.
Have your say: Email chloe.farand@archant.co.uk or tweet us @romfordrecorder
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