THE TELEGRAPH: A £6 billion package of cuts in public spending is “only the first step” towards repairing Britain’s public finances and even tougher cuts will follow, ministers have warned.
David Laws, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said that today’s cuts – which will fall on Whitehall departments and local councils – are just a foretaste of a much larger and more painful austerity programme to be unveiled later this [year].
Mr Laws and George Osborne, the Chancellor today unveiled cuts worth a total of £6.2 billion, which will mean cuts in civil service job numbers, quango budgets and Whitehall spending on advertising and consultants.
Local councils will bear a large share of the cuts, which could raise questions about the services they deliver. There will be a cut of £311 million in the money handed to local authorities for education services like school transport.
Government payments into Child Trust Funds will also end. >>> James Kirkup, Political Correspondent | Monday, May 24, 2010
TELEGRAPH BLOG: George Osborne and David Laws show political will – but this was the easy bit >>> Benedict Brogan | Monday, May 24, 2010
