Labour’s economic plan

Those things may or may not be true ronib. What is irrefutable is that the National Audit Office have reported that Local Government’s ‘Spending power funded by the government fell in real terms by more than 50% on a like-for-like basis between 2010/11 and 2020/21.
lordslibrary.parliament.uk/local-government-finances-impact-on-communities/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20NAO%2C%20total,%2F11%20and%202020%2F21.
A much more significant factor I think.

Casdonanother significant factor from this report
Spending power for local authorities fell by 26 percent between 2010/11 and 3020/21.
In fact there’s supposedly some improvement going forward 2024/25.
Truth and statistics….

ronib

*Casdon*another significant factor from this report
Spending power for local authorities fell by 26 percent between 2010/11 and 3020/21.
In fact there’s supposedly some improvement going forward 2024/25.
Truth and statistics….

Oh dear ronib you just selected a sounbite that fitted your narrative. Here is the paragraph you lifted it from.

According to the NAO, total spending power for local authorities fell by 26% between 2010/11 and 2020/21.[25] ‘Spending power funded by the government fell in real terms by more than 50% on a like-for-like basis between 2010/11 and 2020/21. It fell every year in that time period up to 2019/20, then increased slightly in 2019/20 and 2020/21. In contrast, after an initial fall between 2010/11 and 2016/17, spending power from council tax rose by 15% between 2010/11 and 2020/21.’

Casdon now please do read on
Similarly, it reported a real-terms decrease until 2019/20 before a partial recovery. However, looking at the situation for 2024/25 , it says that core spending power remains around 11 percent below its 2010/11 level in real terms.
A much more significant factor I think.

Statistics, as we are all aware, can be “manipulated”, as can the media.

The real truth is, for whatever reason, Covid, Brexit, Energy, Cost of Living, many people, including some gransnetters, are having to pull our belts in and undoubtedly spending on public services has been slashed, council spending has decreased and costs such as children’s services and residential care have increased.

Something has to be done and quickly for us to at least start to see things slowly improve.

Mental health services are stretched at an all time high and today I read a report about very high levels of interest on student loans.

Our country is in an economic mess and needs sorting!

ronib

Casdon now please do read on
Similarly, it reported a real-terms decrease until 2019/20 before a partial recovery. However, looking at the situation for 2024/25 , it says that core spending power remains around 11 percent below its 2010/11 level in real terms.
A much more significant factor I think.

I read it ronib. What it’s saying is that when you account for inflation since 2010, the real terms decrease in budget is 50% up to 2020/21. It’s quite straightforward. There have been increases since 2021/22, but not of anywhere near the order to correct the 10 year year on year reduction to that point.

Sounds good generally but not sure I like the policy of workers fights, how would anything get done?

I don't think we are in danger of a return to the 'out brothers!' of the 1970's Trade Union movement, more recognition that policies such as hire and fire (as per British Gas, The Post Office etc) are unethical and immoral, apart from the effect on the moral of a workforce which realises that the recognition for years of progression in a company is to be fired made redundant, and then re-hired under a different employment contract. I note that after all the furore over the sacking of the British based P&O Ferries staff who were replaced by far cheaper, easier to exploit foreign based workers has died down. This is what 'workers' rights' is about, and it concerns all of us, our children.

ronib

MaizieD local councils are impacted by lost value of commercial property, high inflation, interest rates and service demands.
By law councils are required to have a balanced budget each financial year and provide best value to residents. 13 section 114 notices (no new spending and need a new budget within 21 days) have been issued since 2018 . For example
Birmingham- equal pay claim and botched IT system
Nottingham- Robin Hood Energy collapsed
Thurrock - renewable energy scheme overvalued
The grocer’s daughter is so not involved in this fiasco but nice try.

Oh dear, ronib.

It was the grocer's daughter who introduced the entirely fallacious idea that a national budget is like a household budget. An idea, I should point out, which is firmly denied by most economists, even those adherents to neo-classical 'small state' and 'free' markets economic theory. The false analogy was drawn on heavily by Osbourne post 2010 to justify swingeing cuts to public services and further promotion of privatisation.

Thatcher was determined to curb the powers of LAs, particularly Labour run councils, which she did by too many means to go into here. Osbourne just continued the 'good work'.

If you think that a small recent increase in 'spending power' is in any way impressive then you are disregarding Osbourne's initial cut of 50% to central budget allocations...

Councils have been caught by being allowed to try to make money from various schemes. This was never their function and it's not at all surprising that some councils have been less than successful at doing so.

MaizieD well the Wicked Witch (clearly for some) is no more. I don’t think anything is impressive in central or local government in the UK. But how to move forward is the question? It would help if statistics were presented in a more digestible form but that’s minor in the scheme of things.

HousePlantQueen

^Sounds good generally but not sure I like the policy of workers fights, how would anything get done?^

I don't think we are in danger of a return to the 'out brothers!' of the 1970's Trade Union movement, more recognition that policies such as hire and fire (as per British Gas, The Post Office etc) are unethical and immoral, apart from the effect on the moral of a workforce which realises that the recognition for years of progression in a company is to be fired made redundant, and then re-hired under a different employment contract. I note that after all the furore over the sacking of the British based P&O Ferries staff who were replaced by far cheaper, easier to exploit foreign based workers has died down. This is what 'workers' rights' is about, and it concerns all of us, our children.

Groan!
It was a joke.
Am fully supportive of workers rights.It was a funny typo by the OP who put ‘workers fights’.😆

MaizieD well the Wicked Witch (clearly for some) is no more.

Unfortunately, her pernicious influence seems to be ineradicable.

MaizieD. Well that is very defeatist. The younger generations will have the opportunity to change systems as they see fit. Although not all change is necessarily an improvement as still struggling to understand 41 GP surgery. After all, even Germany rose from despair so am sure more can be done here?
Or perhaps you are joking?

Sorry oreo, I didn't pick up that yours was a joking comment, didn't get to bed until 4.45am after night in A&E with DH, not at my sharpest today!

Sarnia

If she becomes Chancellor after the next GE I hope she tackles those who consider living on benefits, a lifestyle choice. To my mind, Jobseekers means you are actively looking for employment. With almost a million vacancies in this country it shouldn't be too difficult to find work yet there is this growing element who sit at home with their hands held out to an over indulgent Government.

You’re being ridiculous, it isn’t a lifestyle choice. I have a son with autism who can’t work, he can barely talk to anyone most of the time, lives in his own little world. Every so often his PIP is reviewed and always gets stopped until appealed. I have a small business but while waiting for the appeal I had my carers allowance stopped and had to look for a job because the income from my business wasn’t enough. I attended the Jobcentre every week for a couple of months and applied for loads of jobs but didn’t even get a response from 90% of them. I live in fear of the DWP because they will find any excuse to not pay money out. My heart flips every time a brown envelope comes through the letter box. When they stop my son’s PIP it feels like having the rug of life pulled out from under you. Nobody in their right mind would choose to live this way. Even with the benefits and the small income from my business we are struggling. I often think about people who don’t have a side hustle to supplement their benefits because they are not getting enough money to live on. You clearly have no idea and have been brainwashed by propaganda.

Buttonjugs that’s so hard for you, as if the autism can vanish,
What are they playing at, withholding PIP it’s outrageous.
Most people find it hard to manage on just benefits and would find a job if they could, which pays much better.

HousePlantQueen

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Oh, dear! Wait for the backlash …….

My parents were never more better off than when the Thatcher Government were in power. My father had a good White Collar job that could have repaid a mortgage but with three small children couldn’t fund the necessary deposit.

They were able to buy their Local authority home in the most exclusive suberb of the City where only a few were built (infills from demolished war damaged properties).

They were then also able to save towards their retirement, which although not extravagant was very comfortable and allowed them a nice quality package holiday every February and September (cheaper in term time).

I can only be grateful for the standard of upbringing and housing I was able to enjoy. And yes, I know, not everyone feels the same but one can only go by one’s own expedient.

..

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Sorry. Last word = experience. Definitely NOT expedient!
Didn’t notice that it changed itself!

I do wish that one could edit one’s comments.

Also would like a ‘thumbs up’ and ‘thumbs down’ option under each comment. One often agrees or disagrees with a comment and would like to show that, as maybe one doesn’t have time to reply.

I have written to the regulators a few times with that suggestion but have never had the courtesy of a reply or acknowledgment.

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a great help would be to renationalise some major industries, for example water which may happen if they're allowed to go bankrupt. I know Reeves does not say this but privatisation has failed the uk and cost us billions & if Labour are going to have a value for money principle then they will save billions by not using expensive private companies for public contracts. The NHS would benefit from a reallocation of funds too

First and foremost is the need to control the spending on things that are not beneficial to the country. I don't really care which party does it it needs to be done.

To quote Robert Burns:

"The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley."

The fulness of time will prove...

Sarnia your attitude has, I must confess, made me very very angry. What planet are you on? Have you tried living on the benefits of this ‘indulgent’ government? Or even trying to get in touch with the benefits agency on the phone when you have been four weeks without money and have a child to feed? As for these surplus jobs my guess is they are often zero hours contract jobs, recipes for poverty and anxiety. The young graduates I counsel cannot get decent jobs and having a place of their own is an impossible dream. The people I know on benefit are also working, often using food banks and cannot afford heating. Those of us fortunate enough to be reasonably affluent should, in my opinion, be helping where we can and pressurising the government to do more, NOT vilifying those individuals enduring an unhealthy unhappy existence trapped in poverty wearing coat and gloves indoors eating cold baked beans - that is no exaggeration. I say shame on you!

the thatcher /reagan freemarket/ neo liberalism came to an end in 2008,greed isn't good ,for the past 15 years the tories have been wallowing in mud, bring on a new vision.

undines

Sarnia your attitude has, I must confess, made me very very angry. What planet are you on? Have you tried living on the benefits of this ‘indulgent’ government? Or even trying to get in touch with the benefits agency on the phone when you have been four weeks without money and have a child to feed? As for these surplus jobs my guess is they are often zero hours contract jobs, recipes for poverty and anxiety. The young graduates I counsel cannot get decent jobs and having a place of their own is an impossible dream. The people I know on benefit are also working, often using food banks and cannot afford heating. Those of us fortunate enough to be reasonably affluent should, in my opinion, be helping where we can and pressurising the government to do more, NOT vilifying those individuals enduring an unhealthy unhappy existence trapped in poverty wearing coat and gloves indoors eating cold baked beans - that is no exaggeration. I say shame on you!

very well said!

red1

the thatcher /reagan freemarket/ neo liberalism came to an end in 2008,greed isn't good ,for the past 15 years the tories have been wallowing in mud, bring on a new vision.

Free market/neoliberalism most certainly didn't come to an end in 2008! Banks were bailed out and not a single lesson was learned. We just went on merrily with the Thatcher/Reagan 'orthodoxy'. We are now experiencing the inevitable result...

On the whole, though, most people refuse to accept that there might be any different way of running an economy...