CIPFA / SOLACE Budget Response
March 2010
CIPFA and SOLACE have produced an update to their major report After the Downturn. The report, which was published immediately following the Pre-Budget Report in December 2009, explored both the scale of spending reductions required to rebalance the UK public finances and the strategies available to Government and public service organisations to deal with them. This new briefing updates the economic analysis in the light of the 2010 Budget Statement, and revisits and confirms the continuing relevance of After the Downturn’s conclusions. In particular, very significant decisions about cuts in public spending will need to be made following the General Election.
The briefing is available here.
After the downturn - managing significant and sustained adjustment in public sector funding
December 2009
The global financial crisis and resulting economic downturn have made reductions in UK public spending inevitable. Leaders of all of the major political parties have acknowledged that cuts are unavoidable and as a consequence it is clear that the forthcoming General Election will be fought in large part on the question of how reductions should be achieved and where they should fall.
The Pre-Budget report 2009 and Prime Minister's Putting the Frontline First plan for more efficient public services have added to the already considerable debate about public spending and reform.
Against this backdrop, CIPFA and SOLACE have published a discussion paper that explores the impact of public sector funding cuts on public services, and the strategies and actions that Government and public bodies might adopt to manage them.
After the downturn - managing significant and sustained adjustment in public sector funding is intended to be helpful to Government, Parliamentarians, the political parties, and public sector leaders, national and local, all of whom have critical roles to play in helping to make and implement the right decisions in response to the daunting challenges in prospect. It is based on the premise that Government must tackle these issues with real urgency immediately following the General Election irrespective of its result.
The publication is available here.
The press release is available here.