Spending Review 2015

The government presented its Autumn Spending Review on Wednesday - here is a summary of the key points. The outcome for 30-hour childcare is discussed and another report gives an overview of the impact of the review on education funding. On the surface, the NHS have done well, with an extra £8bn a year pledged. However, a focus on patient safety and rising demand mean that hospital trusts are likely to remain in considerable deficit by the end of this financial year. Publicly funded bursaries for student nurses are to be phased out and replaced with student loans. The government's U-turn on tax credits seems to be good news for tax credit claimants - or is it? The small print within the review has been studied closely in this Guardian report. 

HM Treasury have published supporting documents for the review; detailed background on the context and aims of the review is given and the process is explained here.