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Read MoreChancellor Rishi Sunak sets out Spending Review
Chancellor Rishi Sunak sets out Spending Review
Today, Wednesday 26th November 2020, chancellor Rishi Sunak announced new financial measures for the coming years in the Spending Review.
The chancellor said the spending review comes as the coronavirus health emergency is not over and the economic emergency has only just begun. Saying he will prioritise jobs, businesses and public services, the chancellor says the government is spending £280bn to get the country through Covid-19.
Next year, the government will allocate an initial £18bn in response. There will be £3bn for the NHS, £2bn for keeping transport running, £3bn to local councils, and extra £250m to end rough sleeping. Total funding to tackle coronavirus will be £55bn, he says.
Growth
– The chancellor says forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility show the economy will contract by 11.3% this year, the biggest decline in three centuries.
– Sunak says it will take until the end of 2022 for the economy to return to its pre-pandemic size.
– GDP will grow by 5.5% next year, 6.6% in 2022, 2.3% in 2024, 1.7 in 2025 and 1.8% in 2026.
– In July, the OBR said its “central scenario” was for a 12.4% plunge in gross domestic product (GDP) this year.
– This compares with estimates made at the start of November from the Bank of England for an 11% fall in 2020.
Borrowing
– Sunak says the budget deficit will be £394bn this year, or 19% of GDP – the highest level in peacetime.
– Borrowing will remain at £164bn next year and remains at about £100bn for the remainder of the forecast.
– In July, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimated a budget deficit – the gap between spending and tax income – of £322bn for 2020-21.
– The OBR had previously estimated the national debt – the sum total of every budget deficit – of £2.2tn in 2020-21, or 104.1% of GDP.
Public sector pay
– Pay rises for the public sector will be paused next year, with an exemption for more than 1 million nurses and doctors in the NHS.
– 2.1 million public sector workers who earn below the median wage of £24,000 will be guaranteed a pay rise of at least £250.
– Sunak says he cannot justify a significant across-the-board pay increase for public sector workers, to protect public sector jobs and ensure fairness between the public and private sectors.
– The chancellor says the national living wage will be increased to £8.91 an hour, and extended to over-21s.
– Overall unemployment is forecast to peak next year at 7.5%.
Departmental spending
– Sunak says day-to-day departmental spending will rise in real terms by 3.8%, the fastest growth rate in 15 years.
– He says in cash terms, this will be an increase of £14.8bn on current levels.
– The government will match EU funding for regional development after Brexit, he says. Funding for communities to pilot programmes will be made next year.
– The core health budget will grow by £6.6bn. The chancellor says this will help to hire 50,000 new nurses.
– The schools budget will increase by £2.2bn.
Infrastructure and levelling up
– Sunak says investment in infrastructure will total £100bn next year, with plans to deliver the highest levels of sustained investment in 40 years.
– He confirms plans to launch of a new infrastructure bank, to be headquartered in the north of England.
– The chancellor announces a new £4bn fund for “levelling up”, to which any local area can bid for the funding of local projects.
This article is written by the Guardian
Commenting on the Chancellor’s Spending Review, British Chambers of Commerce Director General Adam Marshall said:”This spending review comes at a critical time as business communities are fighting for survival in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The launch of the National Infrastructure Strategy is an important step in overcoming the longstanding infrastructure deficit. We’ve spent long enough discussing infrastructure projects – it’s now time to focus on delivery.
“Measures to help people return to work at this challenging time will help limit long-term unemployment but Government must waste no time in putting these plans into action. Government and business will need to work together to re-train and re-skill the UK workforce. Investment in the Kickstart Scheme, in which Chambers are playing a leading role, and the launch of the Restart scheme, will be critical in helping to achieve that.
“With an uncertain winter ahead, the government will need to maintain an open mind on providing further support to businesses struggling to survive. As we look to rebuild and renew local and national economies, businesses will also need further significant incentives for investment in people, productivity and the planet.”
"This spending review comes at a critical time as business communities are fighting for survival in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. "
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