coalition: wheres the money coming from?

Graham_Devon

We seemed to start off with the coalition with some pretty firm plans.

However, these plans seem to get diluted, just before they actually take place.

We had the LHA plans, to cut LHA with a date that would start. They then decided not to implement this, but hold off for a while.

We had the removal of EMA. Nope. Let's replace it. And even now, students, who cannot possibly work part time jobs as they are studying, complaining they won't get paid to go to school.....or at least won't get paid as much and life is just so terrible.

Now we've most likely got a new war.

We had tough talk on budgets....but nothing really happened. They didn't even take the opportunity to put tax up on a completely personal choice....alcohol. Height of stupidity when we apparently need money.

We've got cash loans being given to FTB's....so long as they buy an overpriced newbuild.

FSA decides to get tough with lenders, and then turns round and says "oh, well it's a little much to expect lenders to actually make sure borrowers can pay the money back, we'll not implement that".

We've got a BOE continually monitoring and doing precisely nothing, no matter what happens.

Meanwhile, labour attack on the cuts, then attack when the cuts are reversed, but even Ed Balls struggles to come up with real cuts when asked in interviews, and simply reverts back to "the cuts are too fast and too deep".

What cuts do we have left? I mean big ones.

I can think of the child benefit cut (which there is talk of being reversed) and the school buildings cuts.

Nothing seems to be changing. It's all words. But if you listen to labour, there are cuts everywhere, that they wouldn't cut. I'm struggling to find them. Even quango's have survived.

Kohoutek

You missed the big one – social care

A cap on the amount people have to pay for social care in old age is likely to be a central recommendation of the independent review of social care funding.

The government’s independent commission on the issue is due to report in July, with legislation on a new system of social care funding promised next year.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Andrew Dilnot, the commission’s chairman, made it clear the state would have to do more to fund social care. “The state needs to increase its offer,” he said.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7f6a382a-5964-11e0-bc39-00144feab49a.html#axzz1HhEG1RCd

FATBALLZ

It made me wonder in the budget when inheritance tax money can now be donated to charity rather than paid as tax. Maybe it's not that much but can we really afford to lose the money?

grimsalve

FATBALLZ wrote: »

It made me wonder in the budget when inheritance tax money can now be donated to charity rather than paid as tax. Maybe it's not that much but can we really afford to lose the money?

unless we start taxing the charities :idea:


(that's a joke by the way)

Graham_Devon

One of the reasons I'm asking, is it seems to be public sector workers who are taking the brunt of the "cuts". Can't really call them cuts, as not many are having their pay cut, rather just frozen. AIUI.

This, however, is not something labour is seen attacking. They did the same. So for all the attacking, I'm starting to wonder what the actual cuts are. I'm also wondering if the lib dems are getting their say, and diluting cuts which maybe a full tory government would have pressed ahead with?

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

Well Graham, quite a few of us mentioned all this previously.

1. Spending actually increases every year of the parliament, just not quite by as much as inflation.

2. The public sector "cuts" actually consist mostly of pay freezes and a bit of downsizing through natural attrition.

3. The benefits "cuts" aren't really that big.

4. The real progress is made through growth in the economy.

etc

Glad to see you've noticed though.

Wookster

What we need is another Labour government to spend recklessly and cause a gilt crisis. Only then will people realise that you just have to live within your means.

ninky_2

here you go.

http://www.touchstoneblog.org.uk/2010/06/cuts-watch-weekly-summary/

also my local authority is facing a massive cut in budget. http://www.haringey.gov.uk/hot_topic_dec_2010.pdf

Graham_Devon

ninky wrote: »

here you go.

http://www.touchstoneblog.org.uk/2010/06/cuts-watch-weekly-summary/

also my local authority is facing a massive cut in budget. http://www.haringey.gov.uk/hot_topic_dec_2010.pdf

Thats nearly a year old.

ninky_2

Graham_Devon wrote: »

Thats nearly a year old.

does this suit you better? just one borough.

http://www.hapsnews.net/hitting-the-most-vulnerable-the-hardest-haringey-council-cuts-in-full/

YOUNG PEOPLE
* Youth Service budget to be cut by 75 per cent to around £650,000, saving £1.96million by 2013. Eight youth centres closed already, the remaining five under threat.
* Connexions careers advice service for vulnerable young people reduced by 75 per cent saving £1.64million.
* Childrens centre service reduced and targeted at most vulnerable, saving £6.52million by 2013.
OLDER PEOPLE
* Cranwood Older People’s Home in Muswell Hill and Broadwater Lodge Older People’s Home in Tottenham to close by April 2013, saving £1.1million.
* Red House Residential Care Home in South Tottenham, providing care for dementia patients and the frail, to close by April 2013, saving £714,000.
* Whitehall Residential Home in Tottenham, for people with learning difficulties, to close by April 2012, saving £237,000.
* Four drop-in centres for older people to close by summer 2011, saving £234,000 – Abyssinia Court in Crouch End, Willoughby Road in Hornsey, The Drop-in Centre at The Irish Centre in Tottenham, and Woodside House in Wood Green.
* The Haven Day Centre in Tottenham, for people with physical disabilities, to close by April 2012, and The Grange Day Centre in White Hart Lane, Tottenham, to merge with The Haynes Day Centre in Crouch End by April 2012, saving £234,000.
* Woodside Day Centre in Wood Green, used by 45 vulnerable older people, to close by April 2012, saving £149,000.
* Jacksons Lane Luncheon Club to lose £10,000 for a part-time worker by April 2011, leaving its future unclear.
VULNERABLE PEOPLE
* Haringey’s home care service, offering personal care to vulnerable adults, to cease by April 2012, saving £1.06million.
* Overhaul and reduction of adult social care, saving £5million by 2012. Services to be amalgamated into “one generic floating support service” to give “some support” to people in their own homes.
* Reducing training of social workers for adults and children, saving £282,000.
COUNCIL (PUBLIC-FACING)
* Closure of Hornsey and north Tottenham walk-in customer services centres, saving £551,000 but putting pressure on remaining Wood Green and South Tottenham centres. No centre at all in west Haringey.
* Council call centre hours cut from 8am-6pm to 9am-5pm, saving £30,000.
* Libraries’ books and staffing budget cut by £200,000. No libraries to close.
* Libraries’ management system costs reduced and Bruce Castle Museum staff cut, saving £384,000.
* Increasing residents’ parking permits and pay and display rates, generating extra £1million by 2013.
* Allotment charges to rise by £9 per year, earning an extra £22,000.
* Cut 19 Parks staff to save £660,000, leading to 50 per cent drop in maintenance.
* Sell Coles Park in Tottenham and redevelop/improve White Hart Lane Community Sports Centre, saving current annual deficit of £478,000
* Leisure centres to be privately managed, saving £500,000 by 2013
* Commercial leasing of parks facilities, saving £100,000 by 2013
* Reduced response to noise complaints, including stopping out-of-hours response service, saving £180,000.
* Scrapping neighbourhood management service, transferring key functions to other services, saving £1.4million.
* Scrap funding for police overtime for specific ‘high priority targets’, saving £305,000.
COUNCIL (INTERNAL)
* Around 1,200 jobs – or 20 per cent of the council’s workforce – to go, including one in three managers which alone will save £2.5million. Predicted redundancy costs £25million.
* Cutbacks in mobile phone use by council staff saving £150,000.
* No free tea and coffee at council vending machines saving £50,000.
* Cutting translation budget by 60 per cent to save £120,000.
* Council buildings cleaned less often, saving £300,000.
* Redundancies in the legal dept, saving £765,000.
* Redundancies/overhaul of human resources dept, saving £504,000.
* Reduce planning dept to “one of the smallest in London”, saving £210,000.
* Staff not to make internal call to the council switchboard, saving £18,000.
* Fund IT upgrade by borrowing, plus other measures to save £1.2million.
* Merge some council committees, saving £125,000 from allowances for councillors to attend.
* Sharing economic development dept with Waltham Forest Council, saving £100,000 by 2013.
NB – some savings are calculated beyond 2011/12 and include projected savings in 2012/13.

FATBALLZ

Manchester council is closing down all the public toilets to save money. Makes sense really, you would have washed your pants at the end of the day anyway.