The Chancellor’s rabbits from the hat were mainly permitted by changes to the economic forecast. In general these were more eye-catching than material, excepting his U-turn on welfare. The OBR continue to stress the severity of the cuts. It is worth looking at how the arithmetic works out –…Read more…
Coming home to roost
For five years under the Coalition government manufacturing faced a tough time with our automotive industry providing the growth in the economy due to strong exports, which was also supported by our…Read more…
Pensions round-up in #SpendingReview 2015
In contrast to recent budget speeches, which have included significant changes to pensions policy, the pensions announcements in this spending review do not herald any major new policy developments. However, the government has moved forwards on its pla…Read more…
Osborne forced to u-turn
Osborne went to Parliament to attempt to undo the damage his last budget did to his political fortunes. Time will tell if he has managed it. Tax credit cuts that would have hit 3.3m low…Read more…
UNISON reacts to police budgets announcement in today’s spending review
UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said: “It would have been unthinkable to cut police budgets in light of the dreadful events in Paris. “The 25 per cent cuts that have been imposed since 2010…Read more…
It will take more than tampons to plug the gap in women’s sector funding #SpendingReview
It’s not often the TUC talks about tampons but I feel compelled to say a few words about today’s announcement that funds raised via the “tampon tax” will be spent on women’s charities. This morning I wrote about how spending cuts are decimating the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) charity…Read more…
Trade unions campaign to eliminate violence against women
Today (25 November) is the United Nation’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the start of the #16DaysofActivism (to 10 December’s Human Rights Day) of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. According to the World Health Organisation, 1 in 3 women around the world…Read more…
UNISON Scotland e-briefing on Autumn Statement – Osborne forced to abandon savage tax credit cuts
25 Nov 2015
UNISON Scotland e-briefing on Autum Attement online now…
http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/briefings/e-briefing_UKAutumnStatement_Nov2015.pdf
"The UK highlights include the abandonment of the savage Tax Credit cuts, following the government’s defeat
in the House of Lords. Higher tax receipts and lower borrowing costs helped meet this cost. However, from
2018 claimants will switchRead more…
Tax credits u-turn will bring huge relief to working families – UNISON
Wed 25 Nov 2015
Nearly three million working families countrywide have breathed a collective sigh of relief, says UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis.Commenting on the announcement today (Wednesday) that the Chancellor is to reverse his planned cuts to tax credits, UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said:“Nearly three million working families countrywide have breathed a collective sigh ofRead more…
UNISON slams Open University decision to plough on with office and job cuts
UNISON has today (Wednesday) slammed the Open University’s decision to press ahead with office closures and job cuts, despite opposition from its own Senate. The proposed closure of seven regional…Read more…
Chancellor devastates carbon capture industry with £1billion funding cut
Without informing Parliament today, the Chancellor has cut the entire £1 billion funding for the UK’s Carbon Capture and Storage programme, leaving the power and industrial sectors in a state of shock. The Prime Minister will go to the Paris climate change treaty talks next Monday first having…Read more…
More funding for home-ownership but nothing for social housing #SpendingReview
The commitments on housing in the Chancellor’s autumn statement have now been “marked” by the TUC. The government is vulnerable on a number of aspects of their record in this key area and this was their chance to put it right. In practice, they probably scored 5 out of 10 at best….Read more…
Osborne commits to industrial strategy #SpendingReview
In his speech to Parliament today, the Chancellor, George Osborne said: “Businesses also need an active and sustained industrial strategy. That strategy launched in the last parliament continues in this one.” To be truly accurate, the strategy was launched in the parliament before last, with Peter…Read more…
Housing changes will not reverse previous cuts to budgets
Commenting on the changes announced to housing budgets today (Wednesday) by the Chancellor, UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said: “The promised investment in housing and the commitment to build…Read more…
School funding reforms could harm education
Commenting on plans to scrap the current system of school funding announced today (Wednesday) by the Chancellor, UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said: “We believe in a fair funding formula, but…Read more…
Government investment still way down on the last parliament #SpendingReview
Some rabbits came from the hat today. New spending announcements, departmental cuts allegedly eased (others are looking at the potential horrors of the local authority position), and the tax credit U-turn. One area of some emphasis was investment spend…Read more…
Who do you trust?
Tory ministers made the extraordinary decision to make their post-election priority an attack on trade union freedoms. We will not allow decades of economic and social progress that the trade…Read more…
A spectacular U-turn on tax credits, but working people needed more from the #SpendingReview
George Osborne was forced into a spectacular climb-down over his plans to cut tax credits in his Spending Review today. That’s a victory for decency, and the strong campaign run by civil society groups and unions to oppose the proposals. But by the end of the parliament many working people…Read more…
A ‘wild experiment’ on UK
Unite general secretary Len McCluskey accused the chancellor of a ‘Frankenstein’ experiment that puts his ideological commitment to a surplus above the needs of the British people. Responding…Read more…
Tax credits u-turn will bring huge relief to nearly three million working families, says UNISON
Commenting on the announcement today (Wednesday) that the Chancellor is to reverse his planned cuts to tax credits, UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said: “Nearly three million working families…Read more…