Stronger communities and effective public services
The Government's aim is to deliver efficient and responsive public services through sustained investment and reform, supporting strong and sustainable communities.
To support this aim the Government will maintain a strong focus on efficiency and value for money and plans to deliver an additional £30 billion of savings over the next 3 years.
The Budget 2008 announces:
- a package of measures aimed at increasing the take up of Gift Aid, including a transitional rate of 22 per cent in 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11, worth around £300 million over three years;
- a package of measures to deliver decent and affordable housing for all by increasing housing supply and making housing more affordable;
- a number of measures that reduce burdens on charities including: major reforms to the audit process, and a comprehensive programme for bringing more smaller charities into Gift Aid;
- a £200m package over the next three years, funded from within the Department for Children, Schools and Families Comprehensive Spending Review settlement to bring forward by a year to 2011 the Government's ambition for no school to have fewer than 30 per cent of its pupils achieving 5 A*-C grades at GCSE including English and maths;
- the establishment of a Working Group with mortgage and investment industry and also HM Treasury, Bank of England and FSA to develop market initiatives to improve mortgage secondary finance markets;
- that the Government will invite views on options for a framework to deliver affordable long-term fixed-rate mortgages in the UK.
Health and Education spending
