George Eustice has welcomed the measures set out in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement in which George Osborne promised to safeguard police funding. The Chancellor has pledged to safeguard the policing budget in real terms over the Spending Review period.
Other good news for Cornwall is the announcement that the £50 rebate on water bills for households in the South West will be extended for a further five years and that stamp duty on second homes will be increased, with the money raised going towards doubling the affordable housing budget and providing for communities where the impact of second homes is greatest. Proposed changes to Tax Credits have also been reversed and the Government will also be introducing a new funding formula that will level the playing field and ensure children from impoverished areas receive the support they need.
George said “The Spending Review is great news for Cornwall. The action taken in the last few years to get the country’s finances in order has brought additional revenue which means the savings to be made this time are far lower than anyone predicted. I especially welcome the fact that there will be no cuts at all to the police budget, that there is action on second homes and that the water bill in Cornwall will continue.”