Budget 2016: Key points for West of England

March 18, 2016
By

Chancellor George Osborne’s Budget included a number of important measures for the South West, including

  • £3m to improve rail stations across the South West
  • £16m Exceptional Regional Growth Fund (ERGF) payment to Dyson for battery research in Malmesbury
  • £8m during 2016-17 to fill around 159,000 potholes across region
  • £14.5m in grants to extend ultrafast broadband coverage in the South West. The National Infrastructure Commission will use the South West as a case study on how the UK can become a world leader in 5G
  • £620,000 to Being Brunel: the National Brunel Project – a unique public museum and visitor experience dedicated to Isambard Kingdom Brunel being  developed in buildings alongside the ss Great Britain
  • £500,000 to fund a study into a new junction 18a on the M4 to link with the A4174 Avon Ring Road
  • New mayoral devolution deal for the West of England (Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset), giving it “significant” new powers over improved transport, planning, skills and employment.
  • This area will also receive control of a £900m investment fund over 30 years to boost economic growth
  • £19m funding for community-led housing schemes in areas most impacted by holiday homes, using Stamp Duty Land Tax revenue raised from the higher rates for purchases of additional properties.

Comments are closed.

ADVERTISE HERE

Reach tens of thousands of senior business people across Swindon & Wiltshire for just £70 a month. Email info@swindon-business.net for more information.