Cuts Watch #162: Services in Scotland
Scotland’s Independent Budget Review has recommended significant cuts in services across Scotland. The review models the savings that could be achieved from cuts across a range of policy areas. Possible changes include:
- Reforms to the free bus pas scheme – including raising the age of entitlement, removing eligibility for people in full-time work and restricting use to non-peak periods.
- Removing free nursing and personal care in care homes.
- Introducing a flat rate fee for residential social care, or only providing five free hours of care per older adult.
- Increasing prescription charges.
- Charging for eye tests.
- The introduction of tuition fees for Higher Education.
It also presents evidence that suggests Scotland will see widespread job losses as a result of spending cuts.
Stephen Boyd
Jul 30th 2010, 12:21 pm
Further to the key issues already highlighted in Nicola’s helpful posts, the recommendation to privatise Scotland’s publicly owned water industry under the fig leaf of creating a ‘public interest’ company is especially worrying.
Also, for those unfamiliar with the devolution settlement, it’s worth noting that the Scottish Government doesn’t have the ability to borrow. Revenue raising powers are limited and even if they were to be utilised in full (will not happen!), would not fill the post CSR funding gap.