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Capital and revenue budgets

ADEPT strongly supports the Government’s commitment to long term and rising capital budgets as this will help to provide much needed confidence to help drive local growth.

We wait with interest the Chancellor’s further announcement in this year’s Autumn Statement.

We also welcome the additional £140m being made available to improve flood defences across the country and the much needed £200m for local highways maintenance, despite the overall total s being , in both cases, significantly lower than the immediate need.

Our plea on the potholes fund is that either the ‘challenge fund’ label be removed and the funding allocated on a formula basis, or simple and transparent qualif ication criteria be applied to the bid process if that condition is retained. ADEPT was however disappointed that the opportunity was missed to announce greater freedoms and flexibilities around budgets and borrowing or the ‘true’ devolution of funding as outlined by Lord Heseltine’s ‘No Stone Unturned’.

Housing and regeneration

We support the Government and their various announcements on housing and regeneration in this year’s budget. ADEPT strongly supports the ongoing City Deals across the country as t hey offer real opportunity for local leaders and businesses to help deliver l ocal growth. In addition, we support the Government’s commitment t o deliver 200,000 new homes, the £½bn being made available to help small house builders recover after the econo mic downturn and the development of a new ‘Garden Cities Prospectus’.

ADEPT also support s the Government’s commitment to the regeneration of urban housing estates although only those in the ‘worst conditions’ will benefit. However, we were disappointed that there was no further announcement on the Housing Revenue Account borrow ing cap or any measures to discourage land - banking.

Energy

ADEPT supports a diverse energy supply framework and recognise the importance of new nuclear and other energy sources, in cluding shale gas extraction where appropriate. As such w e welcome the Government’s commitment to investing in new sources of energy and the promotion of energy efficiency. We also welcome their announcement that their package of measures would not be de livered at the expense of renewable energy investment. We would however like to stress the importance that local communities see more local be nefits if new schemes are to be developed and accepted in their areas.

Fuel Duty

ADEPT welcomes the announcement that fuel duty will not rise in September and the positive impact this will have on transport services and construction activities.

Business

We welcome the Government’s package of measures r elating to businesses ‘investing for the future’. In particular we support the three year extension of business rate discounts and enhanced capital allowances for Enterprise Zones and the further reduced business rates for high streets in support of urban regeneration.

Regional growth

ADEPT supports the Government’s recognition that all areas of the country have a part to play in a balanced national economic recovery We also welcome the commitment that Government made to the spreading of exporting benefits across the country with its announcement to provide start up s upport to regional airports.

Missed opportunities

ADEPT feels there are a number of areas of missed opportunity in this year’s budget announcement:

• Accelerated funding for infrastructure to support growth and other additional measures to support the de-risking of projects
• Commitment to a reduction in ad-hoc competitive bidding processes
• Commitment to tackle the flaws in the funding system which mean that growth can make areas financially worse off
• Establishment of a new regime for concessionary fares funding that is comprehensive, fair and affordable