Chancellor's autumn statement 2015

Cuts to the care budget to make up for the extra spend on the tax credits.

Elderly better look to their laurels!! Not sure how we can make provision though. Anyone got any ideas?

If George cuts social care budgets (already cut by 25%) then all the money given to the NHS will be wasted as more older people will fall, deteriorate and suffer more isolation and depression, and end up in A & E. Unpaid Carers (family members) will also have to bear the brunt of the cuts which impact on their health and wellbeing, and means that they have to give up work for a life on a meagre income - eroding their savings for their old age. If we have to care for our elders more - then who is there to look after the grandchildren while our adult children work?

Wake up George - its not rocket science - investment in social care and the third sector means more prevention - which is what you have pledged to do - less hospital admissions which means that very costly hospital beds are not used in favour of more effective (and cheaper) options such as supported care at home - which is what most people want anyway.

We "sandwich" carers, caring across the generations have a lot to fear from this man who has no vision.

Looks like he may be cutting public health - most of it is prevention.

Increasing numbers of elderly people don't have family living near.

Buy a house ? If on the minimum wage , how? If on zero contracts, how? if disabled, how?

£450,000 an "affordable" house in London? I live in London and could not afford to pay that even after selling my present house.

It isn't clear that it will work anyway. Lack of trained employees and developers unwilling to expand house building will be a potential problem.

In rental terms, "affordable housing" is defined as 80% of the open market rent.

This quote is from an article in the Independent two years ago. Yes, the figures quoted will have changed in that time, but the general idea remains the same:

The lowest average rents in London have been identified as being in the borough of Bexley, where they have just passed the £1,000 per month mark. In Kensington they are well over £5,000 per month and the all-London average is nearly £2,000 per month. The Government’s definition suggests that the average Londoner can “afford” to pay over £400 a week in rent.

That's why my blood boils every time I hear politicians boasting about providing more of the very badly-named "affordable" housing, as if that will solve the housing problems for low-paid people, and almost as a justification for further penalising those in need of housing benefit in order to keep a roof over their heads!

No tax credit cuts

Basic state pension to rise. Not by much but still. Also £600m to be spend on mental health which is very welcome with regards to my family.

But mental health services are struggling now and the promise is by 2020

Very good about the tax credits cuts. What a U turn.

No cuts to the police is good.

Unspecified cuts of 12bn still to come from welfare though. I suppose he is back on the drawing board again!

Oh, good point. I always get too excited by the headlines.

Very happy about the abandonment of tax credits cuts. Thank heavens he listened to the swelling tide of opposition to this. The man has gone up (ever so slightly) in my estimation.

Ah! so he is paying for the u-turns by assuming greater tax receipts over the next few years.

Hmm - so nothing definite in his cash box then - a bit of wishful thinking albeit based on OBR forecasts.

Feel sorry for the grans or anyone who live in a poor area - local authorities are to raise much more of their money through rates which is almost impossible in low rate areas. 2% to be raised for care and 2% of not a lot will be even less in areas where poverty causes problems meaning more care needed.

This also includes police precept.

I did read somewhere recently that many LAs are sitting on huge wads of cash - I don't think they should be able to do that.

Yes the devil is in the departmental spending cuts isn't it. Specially benefits. But also local authorities.
I bet the house builders are happy to get a whopping subsidy for new properties. And when the owners sell those properties, they will be very happy too, to have had the opportunity to buy a discounted property.
I just don't get the £8billion extra "in real terms" for the NHS. In the next breath they always mention £22 billion "efficiency savings" needed. That looks like an effective under funding of £24 billion to me.

Apparently Osborne is a huge admirer of Tony B and this statement could easily have been a Blair budget! No grans this is not a nightmare Osborne is intent to turn the Tory party into a Blairite type of political party - who would have thought!

yes well, the NHS and schools did rather well under Blair...
And - to give credit where it is due - Blair inherited a national infrastructure that was disintegrating - particularly hospitals and school buildings.
Don't hold your breath. This is a very far right government who only care about the very rich.

Yes jess I was quoting the punters. I think that they were a bit short of stuff to say - this statement is probably like the last 2 or 3 the real sting will become apparent after a good look at it.

Wales is going to get a big budget cut that will bite deeply. This on top of expected benefit cuts etc which are not devolved.

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2015/11/25/georges-fatal-flaws/

From someone who knows about finance.