Symbol copyright Getty Pictures Image caption Chancellor Philip Hammond will present his Budget later this month
Govt borrowing fell by more than expected last month, to £4.1bn from £4.9bn a yr in advance.
It used to be the bottom borrowing determine for the month of September in view that 2007, the Administrative Center for National Statistics mentioned.
Borrowing for the 12 months to this point is 35% decrease at £19.9bn, probably giving Chancellor Philip Hammond room for manoeuvre in the upcoming Budget on 29 October.
The ONS said it was once the bottom yr-to-date total due to the fact 2002.
Economists had anticipated a September borrowing determine of £4.5bn.
Samuel Tombs, chief UNITED KINGDOM economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said the improved public budget meant the chancellor could find the money for plans for higher spending on the NHS “with out raising different taxes or chopping spending in different departments more aggressively over the next couple of years”.
“Actual-terms increases in NHS spending imply other departments can have to endure further cuts, however Mr Hammond don’t need to intensify them.
“That mentioned, the high minister is the use of the promise of higher spending as a bargaining chip to corral her MPs into assisting her Brexit plan,” he brought.
This made it most probably that the Finances could be a “holding commentary”, he stated, with extra decisive measures behind schedule till next yr.
Yael Selfin, leader economist at KPMG UNITED KINGDOM, mentioned the federal government had to figure out find out how to make the best use of the to be had instruments.
“One option might be to chorus from making massive spending commitments now – after all, the Brexit deadline in March subsequent yr may still come as a surprise if things don’t go to plan. an additional £16.6bn could give the chancellor some room to reply to the possible demanding situations.”
She mentioned that excluding well being, other spaces comparable to social care, prisons and local government all showed a “dire want” for extra finances.
She added: “On The Other Hand, the additional pot is not likely to be sufficient for these kind of calls for, and the chancellor will in the end wish to opt for both higher debt or upper taxes so as to satisfy those.”
