The Budget 2011 - What It Means For Young Britain

Shadow Chancellor George Osborne:
"This budget has put fuel back into Britain!"

George Osborne promised a "neutral" budget.

For every give-away, there was a take.

Here are some of the main highlights of the budget that will affect young Britain:

EMPLOYMENT

Funding is to be put forward for 24 NEW technical colleges, as well as 100,000 NEW work-experience placements and 40,000 NEW apprenticeship schemes.

HOLIDAYS

All rises in passenger duty (the amount you pay) have been DELAYED.

FUEL

The price we pay at the pump has been REDUCED by 1p per litre EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.

 The fuel duty escalator has been SCRAPPED and the planned rise of 4p per litre at the start of the new tax year (Monday 4th April) has been DELAYED UNTIL 2012.

TAXES

The current amount of money you earn before you start paying tax will RISE to £8,105 from APRIL 2012.

Communities Secretary - Eric Pickles:
 "This should help all the families that have been squeezed"

Council Tax is to be FROZEN across ALL COUNCILS in the UK, with OVER 40 seeing their council tax rate DECREASE.



PENSIONS

A NEW single tier scheme to be unveiled estimated to be worth £140 PER WEEK.


 But,with all these so-called give-aways, there are the "take-aways" to consider:


ALCOHOL & TOBACCO

The price we pay for a pint will RISE 2% ABOVE the rate of inflation, equating to roughly an EXTRA 10p.

The price we pay for a packet will also RISE 2% ABOVE the rate of inflation, equating to an EXTRA 50P.

THE ECONOMY

The amount of money the country will produce for 2011 has been DOWNSIZED from 2.1% to 1.7%.

The rate of inflation (the price we pay for groceries, electrical goodies etc.) will RISE from 4% to 5%.

Estimated amount of money it will borrow for 2012/13 was £91 BILLION,
 the revised figure is £101 BILLION.

There's one thing that we, the general public all learn from a very young age about borrowing:

You have to give it back sometime.

Labour Party Leader Ed Milliband:
"It's hurting, but it's not working."

Labour Party leader, Ed Milliband keeps repeating the catchphrase:

"It's hurting, but it's not working"

But with no clear-cut plan from his party, what choice do we really have?

Find how long it takes to hurt you using this 

budget calculator and post your results on the facebook page.

Broken Future - An Alternate View On Government Cuts

Many people feel that the government has turned their back on them due to the massive cuts. On Saturday 26 March there will be a protest against the government’s cuts. This will see the UK’s biggest single protest since the anti-Iraq war march in 2003. Many people around the country will travel to London and make their voices heard at their anger of government’s cuts. The march will begin from London’s Victoria Embankment between Waterloo and Blackfriars Bridges at 12:00pm.

The cuts are absolutely ridiculous; they seem to be killing off young people when they are the future of the society. This is what, I think, the government doesn’t seem to realize.

My brother is due to begin university in September. He will be studying English Literature; his mind is set on going to university this year. To some extent I’m worried about the amount of debt he will be in at the end of his degree. Will there even be enough jobs available for university graduates?

I’m still considering going university, there is a lot I’d like to learn and there is no social life like university. But I have always been put off by the tuition fees – even before they put up the fees. I find university life rather interesting and it’s quite heart-breaking that I may have to forget about going to university all together because I’ll be drowning in debt by the time I graduate.

I know a few people that have dropped out of college because of the EMA (Education Maintenance Allowance) cuts and also the rise of tuition fees, they feel that it isn’t worth going to university and getting themselves in larges sums of debt. I know many young people were only attending college because of EMA but I suppose they could have come up with a better alternative rather than calling the whole thing to a close.

What I’m mostly upset about is them getting rid of the FJF Future Jobs Fund. My brother got his first job through the Future Jobs Fund and although the contract was only for 6 months, he got the skills and experience he needed that will attract potential employers. Now it is going to be tougher than it was before for young people with little or no experience to find employment. This is what happens when the government tries to fix something that isn’t broken. They are supposed to be creating more opportunities not taking them away.

Just because of the government, people should not give up on their dreams; there are other options than just going to university. This is the chance for people to think and be more aware about what is out there. There are apprenticeships where it is possible to earn money while gaining essential skills required in a working environment and I’m sure there are more choices out there.

Despite the government, my family still remain optimistic and believe that something better will come along. There is always an option. The cuts have made me think about how much we take for granted.  

By Lee Andrew