Hunt’s ‘back to work’ Budget

Hunt’s ‘back to work’ budget promised up to 30 hours per week of childcare for every child from the age of nine months (currently only three and four-year-olds get nursery hours). He abolished the lifetime allowance for pensions and raised the annual allowance from £40,000 to £60,000.

He plans to abolish the work capability assessment, separate benefits entitlement from an individual’s ability to work and set up a universal support scheme to help disabled people into work.

Hunt announced some tax relief measures—full capital expensing for at least the next three years so business investment in IT, plant or machinery is fully tax deductable straight away. He announced a two-year extension to the Climate Change Agreement to give eligible businesses £60m of tax relief for energy efficiency measures.

However, there was no increase in the budget for the justice system.

Law Society president Lubna Shuja said: ‘The Chancellor can find £63m to invest in swimming pools but not our crumbling justice system.

‘It would only take £30m to bridge the gap between current government proposals and independent recommendations to increase solicitor’s criminal legal aid fees by 15%. Backlogs in every court means that for tens of thousands of people justice is delayed. Our courts are falling apart and there is a dire shortage of judges and court staff.

‘Departmental spending continues to rise lower than the level of inflation, further squeezing the Ministry of Justice’s already limited resources and increasing pressure on our justice system.’