ஓTODAY IN THE NEWS ! ~ /5 DECEMBER 2014 ~ AUTUMN STATEMENT: Osborne unveils Autumn Statement: George Osborne has set out his plans for future tax and spending in the Autumn Statement. The key measures include a cut in stamp duty for 98% of homebuyers, which took effect at midnight last night. The chancellor explained that the current system would be replaced by a graduated rate, similar to the way income tax is calculated. He said an extra £2bn would be put into health services in the UK, fuel duty would be frozen and air-passenger duty for children under-12 would be abolished next year. The Chancellor also revealed that a 25% “diverted profits” tax – often called a “Google Tax” – would be aimed at multinational companies, that bank profits which can be offset by losses for tax purposes would be limited to 50% and that the higher rate income tax threshold would rise to £42,385 next year. Additionally a tax relief for SMEs will be doubled and there will be £45m of support for exporters. The chancellor said the measures he was announcing in the statement were “not a giveaway”, saying that overall they would tighten the public finances and warning that “substantial savings” in public spending were still needed. In the latest published figures, UK military expenditure was ranked sixth in the world, with plans to spend £38 billion between 2014/15. The government protects the military budget, while subjecting vital public services to drastic spending cuts. Financial Times, Autumn Statement The Times, Page: 1,The Guardian, Page: 1-2, Demilitarize.org.uk. Business rates face review: The Chancellor has announced that a full “structural review” of the business rates system in England is to be carried out. A Treasury spokesman explained that the review will examine the “complete structure” of the system, which has been in place since 1988. However, the outcome is expected to be fiscally neutral, meaning that the total sum collected from businesses will not change. John Cridland, director-general of the CBI, said the moves to reform business rates would be a “shot in the arm” for companies. Helen Dickinson, head of the British Retail Consortium, added that retailers want a system that brings investment and jobs to the High Street without punishing retailers who trade online. Claire Kober, chair of the Local Government Association’s resource board, urged the Government to take into account the impact of e-commerce as part of the review. “Councils could do much more to support small businesses if we were able to set rates and discounts locally,” she said. The Guardian, Page: 18 The Times, Page: 8 Daily Express, Page: 51 Daily Mail, Page: 76 DEVOLUTION: Greater powers handed to cities: Greater powers have been granted to major cities in the North as part of a series of initiatives to boost the region’s economy. The Chancellor said billions would be spent on improving rail and road infrastructure, while £250m would be invested to create a science institute in Manchester. Mr Osborne also said his “door is open” to other councils who want to mirror Manchester’s decision to create the role of directly-elected mayor. Commenting on Mr Osborne’s overture to councils, the Bbc’s Patrick Burns says the ante has been upped for the Midlands devolution deal. He says that if more councils joined the combined authority proposed by four Black Country councils and Birmingham then they would create the biggest region outside London – rivalling anything envisaged in the North. The Times Financial Times, Page: 8 The Daily Telegraph, Business, Page: 5 The Guardian, Page: 15 Independent I, Page: 4 Local government works out cheaper: The FT’s Andrew Bounds looks at the ways in which local government can be cheaper and more effective than central government. He says the Leeds city region invests an average of £7,100 a job to find work for the long-term unemployed – a fifth of the cost of central government schemes. He also profiles the Growing Places Fund, which aims to encourage development, and “City Deals”, which devolve some powers.Financial Times, Page: 8 Sir Albert Bore seeks fair funding: Sir Albert Bore, the leader of Birmingham City Council, has challenged the DCLG to issue a “fairer” share of funding to the city ahead of a key report from the National Audit Office. Later this month the council expects to be told to cut in the region of £150m from its budget in what Sir Albert Bore referred to as his ‘Christmas present’ from Eric Pickles.Birmingham Post, Page: 22 SPENDING: Government borrowing forecast raised: The Government is expected to borrow more money this year than had previously been predicted. The Office for Budget Responsibility has raised its borrowing forecast for the current financial year from £86.6bn to £91.3bn, which is still below last year’s total of £97.5bn. It also raised its forecast for economic growth this year from 2.7% to 3.0%, and from 2.3% to 2.4% next year. Meanwhile, the OBR said British workers would finally enjoy a “meaningful” pay rise in 2015, although wages would still be lower in five years’ time than they were in 2007. In the latest published figures, UK military expenditure was ranked sixth in the world, with plans to spend £38 billion between 2014/15. The government protects the military budget, while subjecting vital public services to drastic spending cuts. The Daily Telegraph, Business, Page: 3 Financial Times, Page: 1 The Guardian, Page: 10-11 Public sector squeeze to cost jobs: The FT states that another 1m public sector jobs will be lost over the next five years as the squeeze on spending continues. The OBR estimates that the number of people employed by the state will fall by a further 1m by the start of 2020, taking the total fall to 1.3m. The paper adds that the pain for public sector employees will not be confined to job losses – with salaries also set to be frozen. Frances O’Grady, the general secretary of the TUC, said George Osborne was “effectively freezing public servants out of the recovery” and ensuring another four years of “pay pain”.Financial Times, Page: 2 The Times, Page: 9 The Daily Telegraph, Page: 8 The Guardian, Page: 1-2 Independent I, Page: 4-5 Daily Mail, Page: 5 Services will suffer: Jules Pipe, the chairman of London Councils, has warned that front-line services will be hit as town halls in London struggle to deal with a £3.4bn black hole in funding by the end of the decade. Mr Pipe, the mayor of Hackney said: “Boroughs have made massive efficiency savings and have strived over the past four years to protect services. Yet we are only now half through the cuts – and more reductions in funding will ultimately hit front-line services, local employment and valued community facilities. Many boroughs will be forced to cut to the bone if the Government continues to make these levels of annual cuts up to 2020.”Evening Standard, Page: 8 WELFARE: Delays to welfare reform boost Treasury The Treasury has admitted that delays in implementing Universal Credit will save the Government more than £900m in the next parliament, through reduced payments and administrative charges. Iain Duncan Smith’s decision to delay the full introduction of his welfare program to 2020 will save the government £915m in 2017. The payments will increase in 2019 to £365m, but a new government in 2020 will have to shoulder most of the costs of the scheme to merge six benefits into one, says the Institute for Fiscal Studies.The Times, Page: 4 The Independent, Page: 5 TRANSPORT: Gritter fleets using satellite technology: Gritter fleets have begun using satellite technology for the first time to help tackle icy roads. Councils are using global positioning systems to direct gritters to the worst roads and avoid those that have already been treated. The Local Government Association said the majority of councils are now using GPS technology to guide their gritters to key routes. It added that nine in 10 local authorities are either maintaining or increasing salt stock levels this winter.Daily Express, Page: 11 Leese dismisses expansion of south east airports: Sir Richard Leese, the leader of Manchester Council, has dismissed expansion of an airport in the south east of England as a waste of public money, because regional hubs like Manchester are not being used to their full potential. Sir Richard said airports including Manchester had spare capacity, which would be enhanced by schemes like HS2, adding that millions of passengers prefer to fly from closer to home rather than travelling to London.Manchester Evening News, Page: 23 CHILDREN: A quarter of 11-year olds are obese New national figures have revealed that a quarter of 10 and 11-year-olds in England’s most deprived areas are obese, and that the problem is worsening. The figures were obtained from the national child measurement program which measures children in state school reception classes, when they are aged four or five, and in Year 6, aged ten or 11. In reception the rate of obesity in the most deprived parts of the country was an average of 12%, and in the least deprived areas 6.6%. In Year 6, 24.7% of children in the most deprived areas were obese, compared with 13.1% in the least deprived areas. Colin Michie, chairman of the nutrition committee at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said that a tax on sugary, salty or fatty foods should be considered to tackle the problem. He also recommended that councils ensure that children provide safe places to play and exercise.The Guardian, Page: 19 The Times, Page: 40 EDUCATION: The school with no pupils: A village school is being kept open despite not having a single pupil. No children have been taught at Llanfynydd Primary near Carmarthen since July. However, it cannot be shut until a Welsh government consultation process is completed. Kevin Madge, the leader of Carmarthenshire Council, said the red tape keeping it open was “very frustrating”. The Daily Telegraph, Page: 14, Daily Star, Page: 28 Thanks to Bobby Nixon ~ bobbynixon.mycouncillor.org.uk/
Posted on: Fri, 05 Dec 2014 06:06:57 +0000
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