Over 5 months on and Brexit is still rather a touchy subject. American politics has taken emphasis away from the ‘elephant in the room’ over the last few weeks, but Wednesday's autumn statement made us face it head on again.
The commotion and battering between political parties and soap box twitter junkies was rife as chancellor Philip Hammond delivered his Post Brexit gloomy economic forecast, and shattered the dream of the conservative parties ‘Long Term Economic Plan’ to get the British budget into surplus by 2020 - due in part to the EU referendum result.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast more government borrowing (up to £122bn more than forecast in March’s budget) and a 2.4% lower economic growth projected, as investment and output have both decreased after the Brexit vote.
It has been a nervous wait for the housing industry to hear this statement. The industry was hit suddenly after the Brexit vote, with uncertainty from investors on the potential outlook for the economy. However, with Mr Hammond’s budget coming the day before Thanks Giving, the housebuilding industry will no doubt have been feeling thankful as the chancellor announced the government’s aim to boost infrastructure and housebuilding amid the negative outlook.
Some of the measures included:
It is encouraging to see investment prioritised to support the delivery of much needed new homes particularly in those areas with the highest demand. However we await to see the eligibility criteria of the fund to understand its full impact on the industry.
What were your thoughts on the Autumn Statement? Let us know in the comments below…