Half a trillion pounds for the NHS
NHS England will receive £10 billion more a year in real terms by 2020-21 than in 2014-15. This will fund:
800,000 more operations and treatments; 5.5 million more outpatient appointments; 2 million more diagnostic tests; and access to GP services in the evenings and at the weekend, and 7-day access to hospital services by 2020 Grants for health students will also be replaced by loans, and the cap on the number of nurses and midwives that can go into training each year will be removed, providing up to 10,000 more nurses and other healthcare professionals for the NHS. From 2020, people with suspected cancer will be diagnosed or given the all clear within 28 days of being referred by a GP, helping to save up to 11,000 lives a year. Over £500 million will also be spent on new hospitals including in Cambridge, Brighton, and Sandwell.
Part time season tickets and money back if your train is late
New flexible season tickets will soon be available on certain lines across the country, including C2C between London and Essex, and the Great Northern Route on Thameslink. This means that commuters will be able to buy part time season tickets, if they wish. Better mobile connectivity will also be provided through a pilot scheme on commuter lines in London, the Midlands and the North. Commuters will also soon be able to claim compensation from their rail tickets if their train is more than 15 minutes late.
No cash compensation for minor whiplash claims
To make it harder for people to claim compensation for exaggerated or fraudulent whiplash claims, the government is ending the right to cash compensation. More injuries will also be able to go to the small claims court as the upper limit for these claims will be increased from £1,000 to £5,000. This means that annual insurance costs for drivers could fall by between £40 to £50 a year.
More money for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will all receive more money to be spent on infrastructure projects, with each government deciding where this will be spent. This will be an increase of around 14% for Scotland, 16% for Wales and 12% for Northern Ireland.
Local councils will get control over local taxes and provide extra support for social care
Councils will be given even more powers over decision making in their local areas. They will be able to add 2% on council tax to pay towards social care in their areas, if they wish. From 2020 they will be able to keep money from business rates collected from shops and businesses, to spend on local services like street repairs, libraries and transport. Local police and crime commissioners will also have the ability to raise local council taxes. Council tax is currently made up from money that goes to local services like police and fire services as well as local councils. From next April, police forces will be able to increase the amount they require from council tax collections by 2%.
CIPP Policy News Journal
25/04/2016, Page 174 of 453
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