IPPR Scotland response to draft Budget - bulk of cuts are still to come

IPPR Scotland response to draft Budget - bulk of cuts are still to come

Following the publication of the Scottish Government's draft budget for 2017/18, IPPR Scotland analysis has shown that the bulk of cuts to non-protected departments are still to come. Cuts to non-protected departments in Scotland are likely to be over £1.3bn (11.1%) by 2019-20, compared to 2016-17 (in real terms) even after the Scottish Government's tax plans are taken into account. These cuts will be concentrated on 2018/19 and 2019/20.

Commenting on the Scottish Government's draft Budget for 2017-18, Russell Gunson, Director of IPPR Scotland, said:

"The public spending plans announced today are in line with our expectations. By the end 2020, even with the Scottish Government’s tax plans, spending on Scotland’s non-protected departments is likely to be around £1.3bn lower than in 2016-17.

“This draft budget has been a difficult balancing act, given cuts to the Scotland budget. However, this coming year the Scottish Parliament has a pretty much static budget overall for day to day spending. It is next year, in 2018/19, and the year following that the bulk of these cuts will come. It will therefore be next year’s budgets that balancing the books will become even more difficult than today."

ends

Notes:

IPPR Scotland is the independent, cross-party progressive think-tank, based in Edinburgh and dedicated to Scotland’s issues. Established last year, it is part of the IPPR family which also includes IPPR in London and IPPR North in Manchester and Newcastle.