Cameron cuts mean bigger dose of medicine.

In a few weeks time, 8th July, the Chancellor George Osborne will announce swingeing cuts in a post election budget. Preparing the ground  Cameron, Osborne and Duncan Smith are briefing the press about big cuts in welfare benefits, whilst saving pensions, child benefits and disabled benefits - allegedly?

What`s left you might ask, it`s clear from press speculation that the "working poor" or families on low incomes will clearly shoulder a large burden. This makes a mockery of "all in it together" - tax breaks and give aways for the very rich, cuts in tax credit for the very poor. Press reports indicate a cut as much as £1400 a year for low income working families.  I must have missed this Tory pledge during the last election campaign?

David Cameron was reported to say in a speech a few days ago "we have to deal with the symptoms of the problem" I think he was referring to those working families on low income. The message this appears to send to the nation is - It`s not the medicine that`s the problem - he just hasn`t given low income working families a big enough dose!

Taking about medicine reminds me that part of the 12 billion cuts will include the Health budget but not the NHS itself. No prizes for thinking the Public Health budgets, now part of local Government, will be clobbered. Local Government is also braced for another round of cuts. 90 million since 2010 and a further 54 million over the next 2 years - and thats just Brent! More and more reductions in services to the frail and elderly are inevitable over the next few years as the bulk of Council expenditure is on Adult Social Care.


Fryent Councillor George Crane