AUTUMN STATEMENT 2013 AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT   George Osborne MP, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, made his autumn statement on 5th December 2013. He said that the United Kingdom is growing faster than any other major economy, but the job of recovery was ‘not yet done’. He predicted that the United Kingdom government would be ‘back in the black’ by 2018/19 but said that money was still tight.   The Autumn Statement is a half-yearly update on the Budget, allowing the Chancellor to give MPs a guide to his tax and spending plans. These plans are based on the economic projections provided by the Office for Budget Responsibility - a body set up in 2010 to provide independent economic forecasts.   The purpose of this briefing paper is to summarise and provide comment on the implications of the autumn statement for local government. It contains sections on: Introduction Macro-Economic Position Key Announcements Local Government Finance Pensions Public Assets Business Rates New Homes Bonus Health & Social Care Local Growth Fund Youth Employment Universal School Meals for Infants Planning Reactions in Local Government To download your free copy, please click HERE

Copeland Council Centre in Whitehaven, Cumbria. Adrian Waite wrote the Outline Business Case for this project.

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