The politicians of today are an insult to you and me

[TJC1]

Are the cuts real? Have budgets actually gone down?

 

It would appear so. Significantly.

However, were they bloated previously? Possibly and I think a hell of a lot of money got spunked up the wall.

[unbeliever]

It would appear so. Significantly.

However, were they bloated previously? Possibly and I think a hell of a lot of money got spunked up the wall.

 

I'm sure that there was plenty of waste.

 

But we still haven't figured out if the budgets actually fell, or if the "cut" has been measured relative to the output of some accountant's imagination.

[TJC1]

Relative to what?

What was their total budget for each year?

 

Their total budget is around £1.4 billion, so this would imply that they've been cutting under 1% per year, but is that the reality. Has the total budget actually gone down at any point?

 

The figure doesnt matter. Its still a 538 million cut.

 

From the star:

 

Sheffield City Council is planning to cut up to 200 jobs and raise council tax by 1.99% in an attempt to save £63m from next year's budget.

Labour council leader Julie Dore said she believed it was "the toughest budget anyone in this council has had to set in recent history".

 

The council's chief executive, John Mothersole, told the meeting the £63m in savings would come from a £38m reduction from service areas and £25m from non-front line services.

 

---------- Post added 13-08-2015 at 12:31 ----------

 

I'm sure that there was plenty of waste.

 

But we still haven't figured out if the budgets actually fell, or if the "cut" has been measured relative to the output of some accountant's imagination.

 

Look i dont know what you imagine a cut should be.

 

I think if you have 1 million in 2015, then 900k in 2016, thats a 100k cut.

 

You have less to spend and you have to make savings.

[unbeliever]

The figure doesnt matter. Its still a 538 million cut.

 

From the star:

 

Sheffield City Council is planning to cut up to 200 jobs and raise council tax by 1.99% in an attempt to save £63m from next year's budget.

Labour council leader Julie Dore said she believed it was "the toughest budget anyone in this council has had to set in recent history".

 

The council's chief executive, John Mothersole, told the meeting the £63m in savings would come from a £38m reduction from service areas and £25m from non-front line services.

 

 

I've been trying to find it too.

Nobody seems to want to tell us the total council budget for each year. It's frustrating. Until I find it and I see a smaller number for later years, I shall remain sceptical.

[TJC1]

It translates into:

 

Job losses

Service cuts

Higher taxation

 

Thats the reality of a cut in council budget.

[unbeliever]

The figure doesnt matter. Its still a 538 million cut.

 

Look i dont know what you imagine a cut should be.

 

I think if you have 1 million in 2015, then 900k in 2016, thats a 100k cut.

 

You have less to spend and you have to make savings.

 

 

You've already seen that the supposed cuts in total government spending amount to an actual rise, not only in cash terms but even accounting for inflation.

 

It's routine for people who don't get the money they want to complain about a "cut" when they actually mean that they didn't get as much more money as they asked for. I don't see why there's no figure for the total budget and I find that suspicious in of itself.

[TJC1]

You've already seen that the supposed cuts in total government spending amount to an actual rise, not only in cash terms but even accounting for inflation.

 

It's routine for people who don't get the money they want to complain about a "cut" when they actually mean that they didn't get as much more money as they asked for. I don't see why there's no figure for the total budget and I find that suspicious in of itself.

 

Well you can see the distribution of council spending on a map. Some councils are increasing. Sheffield is not one of them.

Overall council budgets are cut.

 

---------- Post added 13-08-2015 at 12:43 ----------

 

You've already seen that the supposed cuts in total government spending amount to an actual rise, not only in cash terms but even accounting for inflation.

 

720 Billion, government spending

 

Total government spending has increased in real terms each year apart from four since 1993-94, and it reached a high of £738.7 billion in 2010-11.

In 2013-14 government spending was £720.4 billion, the lowest it has been since 2008-09 in real terms.

Since 2009-10, government spending as a percentage of GDP has fallen from 45.3% to 41.6% in 2013-14.

 

---------- Post added 13-08-2015 at 12:45 ----------

 

Health is one area thats increased.

Seems to me certain areas of spending skew the picture...fine if you use the nhs a lot I suppose.

 

---------- Post added 13-08-2015 at 12:49 ----------

 

I'm sure that there was plenty of waste.

 

Unfortunately we didnt put a roof on our heads when times were good. I wouldnt go as far as to blame brown for the GFC though.

[unbeliever]

 

720 Billion, government spending

 

Total government spending has increased in real terms each year apart from four since 1993-94, and it reached a high of £738.7 billion in 2010-11.

In 2013-14 government spending was £720.4 billion, the lowest it has been since 2008-09 in real terms.

Since 2009-10, government spending as a percentage of GDP has fallen from 45.3% to 41.6% in 2013-14.

 

Where does that come from?

 

According to ukpublcspending.co.uk

Total government spending was as follows:

£673.1 billion in 2010, then £714.3 billion in 2011 rising every year to hit £748.1 billion in 2015 and projected to be £759.5 billion in 2016.

 

I think you have to check what they mean by "real terms". Those in favour of higher spending have started to use that to mean as a percentage of GDP which is very misleading.

[TJC1]

Where does that come from?

 

According to ukpublcspending.co.uk

Total government spending was as follows:

£673.1 billion in 2010, then £714.3 billion in 2011 rising every year to hit £748.1 billion in 2015 and projected to be £759.5 billion in 2016.

 

I think you have to check what they mean by "real terms". Those in favour of higher spending have started to use that to mean as a percentage of GDP which is very misleading.

 

It comes from the ONS.

 

---------- Post added 13-08-2015 at 12:54 ----------

 

http://visual.ons.gov.uk/uk-perspectives-public-services-in-the-uk/

[unbeliever]

It comes from the ONS.

 

---------- Post added 13-08-2015 at 12:54 ----------

 

http://visual.ons.gov.uk/uk-perspectives-public-services-in-the-uk/

 

I see it.

They're not the actual figures and they're rather misleading.

 

I think they may have converted all the older figures into 2013-14 equivalents. So they don't actually mean the government spent £738.7 billion in 2010-11, they mean that if you adjust the actual figure for that year to account for inflation, it would be equivalent to that in 2013-2014 £.

 

I can't figure out what figure they're using for inflation. There are several inflation measures as I'm sure you know.

Still even using these figures the spending pattern from 2010 to 2014 is pretty flat. Perhaps an overall drop of 1% over 4 years. Hardly devastating.

 

I can't work out what they mean by "Real terms figures based on ONS GDP data as of 10 October 2014." If real terms means accounting for inflation, why base it on GDP data. It's quite confusing.

 

Have they included the bank bailout money? I can't tell what's going on. I'll try to find a government page with the raw figures in it.

Edited August 13, 2015 by unbeliever