Recommendation 15

If debt payments increase, or tax receipts decrease, there will be a decrease in budget available for other public spending.29 We asked the Treasury whether it had identified what current projects may need to be cancelled, or what potential investments foregone, due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on the economy. The Treasury said that due to the huge uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, government had decided to not have an autumn budget and had replaced the planned three-year spending review with a one-year review, and it would be at this full spending review next year where it would consider priorities for the rest of the Parliament.30 Financial sustainability of local authorities