Smoke and mirrors Budget is a political con trick that doesn’t match commitment to resources, says FDA

16 Mar 2016 04:32 PM

FDA General Secretary Dave Penman, reacted to today's 2016 Budget publication

"Once again, when the Chancellor's numbers don't add up he comes to the well of public services to drink again by announcing further budget cuts.

"It's only three months since departmental budgets were set and yet departments are now expected to deliver an additional £3.5bn of savings in 2019/20 through another efficiency review.

"But that's not all. By announcing a change to the discount rate on public sector pensions - without any consultation - they are effectively removing a further £2bn from public services and transferring it to the Treasury to give the illusion of a surplus: a political con trick that can only further damage public services.

"This Government have consistently failed to explain to taxpayers and public servants how the resources it allocates to match the commitments it makes, despite the promise to do so. Unfortunately for the Chancellor, his smoke and mirrors on the pension contributions can't hide the fact that the cuts are significantly worse than his headline announcement."

Notes for editors

1. The FDA is the trade union for the UK's senior public servants and professionals. FDA membership includes more than 18,000 senior civil servants, Government policy advisors, prosecutors, diplomats, tax professionals, economists, solicitors and other professionals working across Government and the NHS.
2. More about the FDA's 'New Government: New Deal' campaign can be found at www.fda.org.uk/New-Government-New-Deal 3. The FDA (formerly the First Division Association) should be referred to simply as "The FDA" and can be described as "the senior public servants' union". 
4. The FDA can be found on Twitter @FDA_union and at www.fda.org.uk.
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