Key Highlights from the Autumn Statement

Local Government Funding While the chancellor has announced new, further departmental savings for departments, local government has been largely protected. The chancellor has said this is to encourage local governments to take up the national government's offer of a council tax freeze which is again available in the coming financial year. There will be a new national council tax discount of 50% for family annexes from April 2014. This will support extended families living together, for example with children saving for a new home or elderly parents (who would not otherwise qualify for the existing exemptions). It will be fully funded by the national government. New Homes Bonus Following the consultation carried out over the summer and in light of some powerful arguments made by colleagues in local government, the national government has confirmed that it will not pursue the proposal to top slice the NHB receipts for Local Enterprise Partnerships for councils outside London. The £2 billion Local Growth Fund will be made up from other decentralised budgets. Cutting business rates and helping local shops

• The planned 3.2% RPI increase for 2014-15 will be reduced to 2%. There will be a £1,000 discount for all retail, pubs, cafes (excluding banks and betting offices) with rateable values below £50,000 for 2 years.
• The doubling of Small Business Rate Relief will continue for a further year. Ratepayers will continue to keep their Small Business Rate Relief entitlement for a year where they take on a second property,
• New occupiers of former retail premises which have been unoccupied for a year will receive a 50% discount for 18 months.

Increasing funding for housing Delivering savings from cutting fraud