The effects of the Budget on East Sussex:
At County level, we are still assessing the impact of the Rachel Reeves Budget on communities in East Sussex. There is still some uncertainty, but a picture is emerging.

The Budget included an extra £600 million for Social Care and an unallocated £700 million for local government which will be distributed as part of the Local Government settlement in December. There is some extra money for potholes but no more than we received recently from the previous government.
The anticipation is that this will mean an extra £13million whilst the gap in East Sussex given rising demand for social care and Children’s services is about £57million.

Whatever increase there is, we have to factor in the impact of national insurance increases and the rise in the minimum wage up 6.7% for adults 16% for 18- to 24-year-olds. National insurance costs for the County will apparently be funded by the government but this will not apply to our contractors and service providers. Unless there is a change of heart these increases will have a big impact on Care Homes, not only those for the elderly but those used to house young adults and children with multiple needs.

There are further pots of money available for specific projects such as Active travel, buses and improved recycling.

However, the key problem in East Sussex is the rising demand for social care across all age ranges. Other impacts in East Sussex will include the threat to our farms from the removal of inheritance tax reliefs. We have many family-run agricultural businesses, and our local economy could be badly affected in the long term.

We also have many excellent independent schools where parents will now face 20 %VAT on their fees. Whether they will all survive and whether state schools will have the capacity to take additional children remains to be seen.

Maresfield:
As I write work has begun at last on resurfacing High St and School Hill in Maresfield. I have been campaigning for this in the last 3 years and I’m delighted it is at last being done.

Roy Galley
cllr.roy.galley@eastsussex.gov.uk
Tel: 01825 713018 or 07960 607672