CHILDREN, the unemployed and the long-term sick have been hit hardest by the Coalition Government’s cuts.
The TUC’s Cutswatch service – available at www.touchstoneblog.org.uk/category/cuts-wa
tch – has so far identified over 30 specific cuts since the Government’s own announcement of £6.2 billion of cuts on 24 May.
The TUC analysis shows that despite the Government’s claim that so-called ‘frontline’ services would be protected, cuts have already hit those in the greatest need.
Projects scrapped, being cut, or under threat, range from inexpensive but valuable education programmes to large house-building budgets, including:
- a programme to support children with reading difficulties, worth £5 million;
- plans for building school playgrounds (£5 million);
- an affordable housing programme (£100 million);
- free prescriptions for everyone with a long-term health problem in England (£430 million);
- free social care to 11,000 older people (£540 million); and,
- the multi-million pound refurbishment of hundreds of schools across the UK.
These are in addition to high profile cuts such as the Future Jobs Fund – a £5 billion programme that has created jobs for hundreds of thousands of previously out of work young people, the Child Trust Fund and the abolition of various quangos, such as the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA).
Most of these cuts were not mentioned in either of the governing parties’ election manifestos or the coalition agreement, says North West TUC Regional secretary, Alan Manning
The TUC is concerned that with plans to raise revenues and tackle tax avoidance by bringing capital gains into line with income tax now under threat, and a VAT rise still likely, people on low and middle incomes will be left bearing the full brunt of any tax rises and the threatened cuts to public services.
With further spending cuts due in the Budget and the Comprehensive Spending Review later this year, the TUC is urging the Government to sign up to the ‘Fairness Test’ – a publically available assessment of every tax rise or spending cut – to ensure that the poorest are not hit the hardest.
Mr Manning said: “Politicians told us during the election campaign that cuts could be achieved through efficiency savings that would hardly be noticed, that the poor and vulnerable would be protected and that the front-line would be protected.
“But they have already broken their word.
‘Despite no doubt genuine efforts to look for painless cuts, ministers have failed at the first hurdle.
‘The Government says that the coalition is built on the principle of fairness. But to deliver on this it must ensure that everyone – including the wealthy – pay their share in reducing the deficit. The most open and transparent way to do this is to sign up to the Fairness Test – and the Government has the perfect opportunity to do this on Budget day.’
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- CHILDREN IN ROCHDALE PAY THE PRICE FOR THE BANKERS RECESSION
- CON/DEM COALITION GOVERNMENT AGREE ON £6BILLION CUTS FOR PUBLIC SERVICES
- OSBORNE TO REVEAL CON/DEM COALITION’S £6BILLION CUTS IN PUBLIC SERVICES IN JUST ONE WEEK’S TIME
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