The 2025 Autumn budget unlocked: Our key takeaways

The 2025 Autumn Budget lands at a pivotal moment for the UK economy, setting out plans that are already reshaping expectations across the sectors we operate in. From construction and planning to farming, food, hospitality and even inheritance tax reforms, the measures announced will directly influence how organisations plan, invest, hire and grow in the months ahead.

To help make sense of it all, we asked our team to break down the Budget’s most meaningful implications - highlighting not only where the opportunities lie, but also the challenges businesses may face as they navigate a shifting economic landscape.
Here’s what they had to say:

Annie Brafield, director, reflected on barriers for businesses: 

"Many of the measures announced in this afternoon’s Budget feel like barriers to business growth. Businesses are already feeling the pressure following increases to NI, but a landscape of stealth tax across the board and a downgraded productivity prediction suggests growth will be tough to come by."

Peter Mumford, account manager, tied in the impact on employees: 

"Restricting cash ISA savings, introducing EV mileage costs and freezing personal tax thresholds mean employees could face more spending and investment decisions as they progress into higher tax bands. Coupled with a tax on pension contributions above £2,000, businesses will face difficult decisions when looking to attract and retain talent."

Katie Nelson, director and head of construction, unpacked the implications for her sector:

"There's a lot to unpack in this Budget and lots of things that are undoubtedly going to impact the construction sector. Investment continues on every scale from large scale infrastructure to £18m for playgrounds and 250 new community healthcare hubs. Even with investment, public sector spend remains turbulent, so effective processes and collaboration with the private sector will be the key to these promises actually becoming a reality."

Oliver Sargent, strategic director: built environment, on planning reform: 

"We’ve heard it before: reforming the planning system and getting Britain building is central to driving growth. Rachel Reeves repeated that message today, with Labour pushing ahead and the Planning and Infrastructure Bill expected to gain royal assent by the end of the year. But removing the bottlenecks the Bill targets will require real investment. 

"The £48m to recruit 350 new planners is just one example - welcome, but still far short of what’s needed. The acute shortage of experienced planners, combined with the wider funding pressures facing local authorities, means far greater support is required if the government is serious about speeding up the system and delivering its ambitions in this Parliament.”

Fran Prince, director and head of marketing, on hospitality: 

“For the food and hospitality sector which is built on slim margins, high energy costs, and chronic labour shortages, rising employer contributions to National Insurance and a higher minimum wage may force the industry to adjust staffing levels and opening hours, this could risk service quality, staff layoffs, and turnover. These measures risk constraining investment, reduce hiring appetite and slow the recovery of one of the UK’s most important industries. 

Lucy Torr, account manager, on agriculture: 

"With no inheritance tax changes for agriculture businesses in Reeves’ budget, it’s no surprise that farmers are driving their tractors to Whitehall. Labour’s silence signals commitment to last year’s decision, raising concerns about how this will impact security for farmers and UK food production.”

Kali Dennett, account director, on social housing:

"The Chancellor’s projections for rising net housing additions by 2029–30 are encouraging, but over-reliance on the impact of planning reforms paired with high development and maintenance costs, and ongoing labour and material shortages make the outlook less clear for the industry."

The Budget sets an ambitious agenda but leaves many industries grappling with uncertainty — from businesses managing rising costs, to planners and developers awaiting meaningful system reform, to sectors like hospitality, farming and housing working to bridge the gap between policy ambition and practical delivery.

Across every area, one theme is clear: organisations will need to stay agile, informed and closely connected to the evolving policy landscape if they are to seize opportunities and mitigate the risks ahead.