Posted on September 2nd, 2010 by Richard Exell
The Royal Statistical Society has written to the UK Statistics Authority to call for a comprehensive review of inflation measures. The letter, from RSS President David Hand to Sir Michael Scholar (the Chair of the UK Statistics Authority) expresses concern about the way in which the Office for National Statistics concentrates on the Consumer Price [...]
Filed under: Budget, Pensions, Welfare | No Comments »
Posted on August 30th, 2010 by Richard Exell
This weekend more stories have emerged about cuts in defence spending, featuring elements of the armed forces that are well-known to the public. Yesterday there were reports that the Ghurkha regiment is to be scrapped, today the newspapers featured reports that the Special Air Service is being forced to retire 40 of its most experienced [...]
Filed under: Blogging, Politics, Public spending | No Comments »
Posted on August 28th, 2010 by Richard Exell
Last night’s rumours that NHS Direct is to be abolished have been confirmed by the government. The service is to be replaced within 3 years by a national phone service (using the non emergency 1-1-1 number) based on the pilot project in the North East.
Filed under: Cuts Watch, Cuts Watch: Health | 1 Comment »
Posted on August 22nd, 2010 by Richard Exell
A new study by John Hills shows that the last government’s spending held back rising inequality and that cutting it is likely to be regressive. At the same time, an evaluation of the 1990s cuts in Sweden and Canada – often cited by the coalition as an inspiration – reveals that they led to significant [...]
Filed under: Public spending | 3 Comments »
Posted on August 20th, 2010 by Richard Exell
People arguing the case for cuts will sometimes claim that recent international experience shows that “spending cuts adopted to reduce deficits have been associated with economic expansions rather than recessions.” The quotation comes from a paper published last year by Alesina and Ardagna (subscription) that lists examples where it is claimed that countries that carried [...]
Filed under: Economics, Public spending | 2 Comments »
Posted on August 19th, 2010 by Richard Exell
If the government is indeed going to announce restrictions on ‘universal’ benefits it won’t come as a bolt out of the blue. The Budget froze Child Benefit for three years and the re-testing of Disability Living Allowance claims is supposed to cut back the number of people receiving the benefit by one fifth. The leaks [...]
Filed under: Welfare | 2 Comments »
Posted on August 18th, 2010 by Richard Exell
In most parts of England and Wales young people’s A level results will be published tomorrow. Around the country they will be turning to their local Connexions service for advice; local news services are pointing teenagers with worse (or better) results than they expected to Connexions in Bakewell, Barrow, Bristol, Cambridgeshire, Gloucestershire, Haringey, Islington, Milton [...]
Filed under: Public services | 1 Comment »
Posted on August 18th, 2010 by Richard Exell
Senior management at the UK Film Council have been summonsed to a meeting with Ed Vaizey, where they will be told off for lobbying too effectively against their abolition.
Filed under: Cuts Watch, Cuts Watch: Culture | 2 Comments »
Posted on August 17th, 2010 by Richard Exell
In recent Cuts Watch postings we’ve reported on the rapid disappearance of road safety cameras. Figures out today reveal that the price in extra deaths and injuries will be more likely to be paid by the poor. Philip Hammond, the Secretary of State for Transport has said that the decision to stop funding local authorities’ [...]
Filed under: Inequality, Transport | 1 Comment »
Posted on August 16th, 2010 by Richard Exell
Well, not the individuals, but their armed guards. According to yesterday’s News of the World, the government has decided on a £50 million cut from the £150 million p.a. cost of providing police guards for the royal family that would remove protection from less well-known members.
Filed under: Cuts Watch | 1 Comment »
Posted on August 15th, 2010 by Richard Exell
It looks as though cuts in the Comprehensive Spending Review will hit the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs particularly hard, threatening key conservation agencies and the public stake in nature reserves. Dozens of conservation charities and campaigns have united to write to DEFRA to demand “Don’t cut the Countryside”!
Filed under: Cuts Watch, Cuts Watch: Environment | 1 Comment »
Posted on August 14th, 2010 by Richard Exell
The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has called for massive reductions in police pay to achieve the cuts demanded by the government. In a move that proves that no-one is safe from the monstering facing any group of public sector workers whose pay and conditions are being cut, the call was accompanied by pay figures [...]
Filed under: Cuts Watch | 2 Comments »
