Spending cuts could have adverse effect on the country

Will the spending cuts further cripple

“We are all in this together!” What sounds like a cheesy line in a pop song was actually said by George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer while defending the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR). This line, although used for publicity, contains some truth. We don`t know what to expect. How will the cuts affect me personally? It doesn’t matter whether you ask students teachers or anybody else. It seems that they all put their faith in the hands of the newly elected government. Like other countries the UK has taken serious steps to reduce debt. But are those the right steps to take and how did other governments solve their problems? I will discuss a few of those issues.

Very few departments have escaped the cuts. International Development, Energy and Climate Change and the Cabinet Office are the only exceptions. They will be able to look forward to increases in their budgets while others face major cuts. Overall, departments will have £81bn less money to plan with over the next four years.

The Departments of Justice, Transport, Business and Home Office will face cuts too. The DOJ will decrease its budget by £1.9bn which will not only lead to a reduced staff but the prison population will also be affected. Hundreds of Criminals will get free just because the department will not have the money to keep them in prison. Furthermore, the Home office will have to decrease the police force by several hundred altogether – which may have an impact on crime rates.

Despite committing to the importance of schools and universities, the department of education had to face major cuts. The money spent on buildings and maintenance will be cut by almost two thirds. Furthermore, the administrative office of the department will face cuts of 33% which will likely be accomplished by reducing the number of staff.

“Put on a smile for the future!”

As a student you are likely to be pessimistic. Higher tuition fees, more expensive loans and the research budget frozen. Furthermore, a possible tax which you would have to pay until the end of your life after you graduated.

While the research budget is frozen the teaching budget will be cut by 40% which leads to an obvious question. Will this affect the research capabilities? Will the reduced amount of teachers affect the research negatively? Nobody can know with any certainty. However, as the Financial Crisis showed us - insecurity and fear are strong indications for a bad future.

In case of the tuition fees it is just a matter of time and the recent numbers of applications to English universities prove that everybody has the same fear. Life as a student won`t get cheaper. University support by the Department of Business was abolished forcing the universities to look for other money sources. Comparing the International and the home tuition fees you can think of one obvious money source. But shouldn`t studying at an English University be the right of an English student? Competing with the United States forces the UK to think globally and increase the money spent on education. Unfortunately, the government has thought of few steps other than an increase in tuitions fees. There is the possibility of a tax that you would have to pay until the end of your working life - approximately 40 years of paying this tax because you studied in the UK for three years.

The spending cuts are making a deep impact all over the European Union. But we don`t really know what we can expect. The biggest crisis since 1929 forces us to be careful and responsible with the steps we take. We can only hope governments in Europe made the right decisions.

For why the spending cuts are a necessary evil, read Jivan Mohanty's article here.

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