TODAY'S autumn budget speech delivered by Rishi Sunak has announced what the government will spend money on in the next year.

The speech revealed the government's plans for raising and lowering taxes, and big decisions on what it will spend money on - including health, schools, police and other public services.

Here are six of the announcements that will affect Sussex:

1. Minimum wage rise - raised to £9.50

Around one in seven workers will benefit from plans to raise the National Living Wage in this year's budget, according to latest figures.

The National Living Wage will rise from £8.91 per hour to £9.50 for those aged 23 and over, taking effect from April 1 next year.

In Brighton and Hove, 15 per cent of jobs will be affected by the increase.

While 16 per cent of jobs in Worthing will also benefit from the increase, with 14 per cent in Crawley.

2. Levelling Up Fund - £9.5m allocated to Brighton and Hove seafront

Rishi Sunak said he was allocating the first round of bids from the Levelling Up Fund, noting it would be £1.7 billion to “invest in the infrastructure of everyday life in over 100 local areas”.

Among those areas is Brighton and Hove which will receive a grant from the fund for its Kingsway to the Sea project.

The aim of which is to regenerate the underused and run-down spaces on the seafront in West Hove.

3. NHS

It was also announced that the NHS in England is to receive £5.9bn as part of the Budget.

The funding will help to clear the NHS backlog caused by the pandemic.

Currently, there is a waiting list of more than five million people waiting for checks, tests and scans across England.

Sunak says that by the end of this parliament, healthcare spending will increase by £44bn, taking the overall spending to £177bn.

The extra revenue from the health and social care levy will go directly to the NHS.

4. Changes to Universal Credit

The Chancellor announced that the Universal Credit taper rate will be cut by 8 per cent from no later than December 1, bringing it down from 63 per cent to 55 per cent.

He said: “The Universal Credit taper withdraws support as people work more hours. The rate is currently 63 per cent, so for every extra £1 someone earns, their Universal Credit is reduced by 63p.

“Let us be in no doubt, this is a tax on work – and a high rate of tax at that.”

5. Alcohol - overhaul and price of pint lowered

The Chancellor said he was “radically” simplifying alcohol duty by introducing a system designed around the principle of “the stronger the drink, the higher the rate”.

Mr Sunak said he is ending the “irrational” 28% duty premium on sparkling wines and duty on fruit ciders will be cut.

He also announced “draught relief” – a new, lower rate of duty on draught beer and cider.

A draught relief will apply a lower rate of duty on draught beer and cider, Mr Sunak said, cutting the tax by 5% on drinks served from draught containers over 40 litres and bringing the price of a pint down by 3p.

6. Museums and art galleries

He also extended tax relief for museums and galleries for two years, to March 2024.

Mr Sunak said creative tax reliefs would be made “more generous”, telling MPs: “On current plans, the tax relief for museums and galleries is due to end in March next year – just as exhibitions are starting to tour again, so I’ve decided to extend it, for two years, to March 2024.”

He added: “To support theatres, orchestras, museums and galleries to recover from Covid, the tax reliefs for all those sectors will – from today until April 2023 – be doubled.

“And they won’t return to the normal rate until April 2024.”

What do you think of today's Budget announcements? Let us know in the comments!

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