HCA included in unions’ list of “unfair” cuts
Cuts to the Homes and Communities Agency and the Building Schools for the Future programme have made it onto a list of 100 “unfair” cuts, published by the Trades Union Congress today.
The Congress has called on the coalition to reconsider the swingeing cuts it is making to public services, including housing and regeneration grants.
Its list of “unfair” cuts includes the £100m cut to the affordable housing grant, the £50m reduction in kickstart funding for schemes, and axing of the Sustainable Development Commission and the Audit Commission.
It also says the Government Offices for the Regions being abolished is unjust. The list, which is published to coincide with the coalition’s first 100 days in power, is designed to show that the poorest people in the UK will suffer most.
The TUC has the support of Barnardo’s, Oxfam and Save the Children in proposing a Fairness Test to any planned cuts, which would ensure that vulnerable people do not lose out disproportionately from Treasury spending changes.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “Before the election we were told that cuts could be achieved through efficiency savings, that the most vulnerable would be protected and front-line services preserved. These pledges have not lasted 100 days.
“What makes this worse is that these cuts are doing the opposite of what the Government intends. Far from securing the economic recovery, they are slamming on the economic brakes. Growth will be well below potential and there is growing risk of a double-dip recession.
“We can only conclude that at least parts of the coalition are using the deficit as an excuse to secure the cuts in public services that they know that voters would have overwhelmingly rejected if faced with a manifesto that promised slash and burn.”
To read the TUC’s full list, click here: 100 Cuts Table
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