In May this year the Conservative manifesto confirmed their pledge that by 2020, the increase to the personal allowance to £12,500 and the higher rate income tax threshold to £50,000 will still happen under a conservative government. The Financial Times article says that the Chancellor could still honour both promises by committing to meet the 2020 manifesto pledges but then to pre-announce a freeze thereafter until the end of the parliament in 2022. Apparently the Treasury declined to comment.
CIPP comment Government will publish its next Budget on Wednesday 22 November 2017. The Policy team will as usual be providing coverage via twitter throughout Philip Hammond’s speech so be sure to tune in on the day #AutumnBudget2017 . And we will also provide our concise summary of relevant announcements after the event which will be published on the news page of our website.
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Update on the future of DWP jobcentres 26 October 2017
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) confirms that some smaller jobcentres will merge with larger ones, and others will be co-located within local government premises.
Claimants will be informed in advance of the closures and jobcentre work coaches will provide help and assistance to them during the mergers.
Damian Hinds, Minister for Employment, said:
“We will always make sure that people have the support they need to get into and progress within work. These changes reflect the fact that more people access their benefits online resulting in many of our buildings being underused. The changes DWP is making to its estate across the country will offer a more efficient service, and deliver good value for the taxpayer.”
Go to GOV.UK for a list which provides details of the jobcentres that have merged, or the proposed dates, when these changes will take place.
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300,000 people are leaving their jobs each year due to mental illness 27 October 2017
More than 2 million public sector workers are set to receive unprecedented mental health support.
As part of her commitment to tackle the injustice of mental illness, the Prime Minister commissioned an independent review of mental health and employers which has found that around 300,000 people a year are leaving their jobs each year due to mental illness – costing employers up to £42 billion annually.
The Prime Minister has confirmed that NHS England and the Civil Service – two of the country’s largest employers – will abide by the recommendations of the report.
As a result NHS and Civil Service employees will now be guaranteed tailored in-house mental health support. Alongside this, NHS England and the Civil Service will:
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