budget 2010

Banking on a green future, by Steve Lang

29 June 2010 | Steve Lang

Today’s report from Bob Wigley’s Green Investment Bank Commission will no doubt ricochet between policy-makers at departments across Whitehall. Read more...

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When is a cut not a cut? by John Redwood

29 June 2010 | John Redwood

Only in the public sector is an increase a cut. The current debate over public spending is bogged down in the parade of the bleeding stumps, debates over 25% cuts and an argument over allowing the health budget to rise when most else is set to tumble. Read more...

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Crash course, by Andrew Jepp

26 June 2010 | Andrew Jepp

Local authorities can learn lessons about efficient risk management from the private sector, says Andrew Jepp in the latest of our monthly series of sponsored columns Read more...

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Pay now, pay later, by Peter Riddell

24 June 2010 | Peter Riddell

George Osborne has made a social, political and economic calculation with his first Budget. He is gambling on the benefits appearing by the next election Read more...

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Boxing clever? By Judy Hirst

24 June 2010 | Judy Hirst

We’re all in this together, said the chancellor, in his debut Budget outing this week. We’ve all got to share the pain. Read more...

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A mixed Budget for the NHS, by John Appleby

24 June 2010 | John Appleby

As expected George Osborne’s first Budget set out a combination of spending cuts and tax increases as part of the coalition government’s strategy for reducing the country’s structural deficit. Read more...

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Council workers still frozen out, by Heather Wakefield

24 June 2010 | Heather Wakefield

In his Big Budget this week, the Chancellor announced a two-year pay freeze for public sector workers  from  2011-2012. However, with uncharacteristic magnanimity, he also said that those earning £21,000 or less would receive an increase of at least £250 a year – about enough to buy five rolls of Osborne and Little’s cheapest wallpaper or perhaps pay one quarterly fuel bill – and an increase of £3,000 in the £18,000 threshold they were talking about before the election. Read more...

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Capital spending: how protected? by Mark Hellowell

23 June 2010 | Mark Hellowell

Over the last year, plans for two large hospital projects have been in development – plans which, in many respects, look very similar. Both involve the replacement of old, physically denuded facilities in poor parts of northern England, one in Hartlepool, the other in Merseyside. Both involve serious amounts of capital investment – £450 million in the former case, £320 million in the latter. Read more...

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Don’t gripe, get a grip, by George Jones

23 June 2010 | George Jones

Rather than moan about the Budget, local government should welcome the opportunity it offers. Local authorities should tell the government they can cut better than Whitehall departments and quangos. They should make the case for decentralising spending and taxing to elected local authorities. It would fit in with the coalition’s localism agenda. Read more...

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The Budget: yes, it’s worse than we thought, by Colin Talbot

22 June 2010 | Colin Talbot

Spending on public services is set to reduce by 25% in real terms by 2014-15 (apart from Health and International Development). One quarter of all other public services could go – that is the equivalent of around a fifth of all public sector staff or well over a million jobs. Read more...

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