Cuts to police and other services WHY?

[glennpickard]

If hospital wards are understaffed consistently, that may present another costing efficiency problem. If thousands of NHS staff are working overtime to make up for the staff shortages, at 1.5 times their normal rate, then it may well be a false economy.

[Happ Hazzard]

Take the shackles off the police and allow them to fight crime effectively and you would find crime would drastically decrease within weeks at no cost to the public purse. Increase sentences and make prisons draconian and you'd see crime decrease even further.

[monkey104]

It's still a hell of a lot of money to be giving away when so many people in this country are struggling. Why not use that money to raise the personal allowance by a thousand or so? Allowing British people to keep more of the money they earn instead of giving it to foreigners?

 

Having just received my tax breakdown I now know that £179 of my tax this year has gone in aid abroad!!

I am not happy.

[staninoodle]

As one of the countries with the biggest economies in the world, isn't it the responsible thing and our duty to offer help?

 

Yes it is,but does that money actually go to the causes its meant for,and what improvements do we see in those countries from our dosh?

Would it not be more charitable and cause effective,to send out british companies to improve infrastructure on a voluntary basis,rather than just chuck em all cash?

[glennpickard]

years ago I worked for a company (Meridian Air Mapping) on the south coast, and we did air survey work. We were contracted by the British government, mainly in Africa. I was told that the UK government did not provide cash any more as foreign aid, as most of the money ended up in the PMs or presidents bank account in Switzerland ! The surveys were to map the country from the air and then provide the host country with maps.

 

Other non cash government assistance as I knew it then was to assist with infrastructure such as clinics/medical, bridges, roads, harbour dredging etc. This made sense as it would benefit the whole country not just the rich politicos.

 

I cannot imagine that the UK government has moved away from this policy. But it would be interesting to know, if the government make the information available, what % of the foreign aid is distributed in cash, and to whom ?

[spilldig]

years ago I worked for a company (Meridian Air Mapping) on the south coast, and we did air survey work. We were contracted by the British government, mainly in Africa. I was told that the UK government did not provide cash any more as foreign aid, as most of the money ended up in the PMs or presidents bank account in Switzerland ! The surveys were to map the country from the air and then provide the host country with maps.

 

Other non cash government assistance as I knew it then was to assist with infrastructure such as clinics/medical, bridges, roads, harbour dredging etc. This made sense as it would benefit the whole country not just the rich politicos.

 

I cannot imagine that the UK government has moved away from this policy. But it would be interesting to know, if the government make the information available, what % of the foreign aid is distributed in cash, and to whom ?

 

That is interesting, and I do hope it is the case because donating money would , as you say, be a foolish thing.

[Penistone999]

Lets put things into perspective - in 2014 the UK foreign aid budget was 1.4% of government spending, so 98.6% of our government budget wasn't spent on foreign aid.

 

1.4 % of Government spending is a vast sum of money. More than enough to stop police numbers being cut . We should NOT be giving cash to other countries when our own services are being cut.

 

Charity begins at home ......... and should stay here.