TOP 100 ENGLAND SITES
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| Fife teacher faces life in jail A 23-year-old teacher from Fife who admitted a string of sexual offences against boys could face life in prison. bbc.co.uk |
Nudist cruise launched by tour operator A London-based tour operator is searching for 22 bold holidaymakers to strip off for a naked cruise. telegraph.co.uk |
IFS: spending cuts will hit poorest harder Thinktank warns that George Osborne's spending cuts are the deepest since the second world war and will hit the poorest harder than the better offGeorge Osborne's claims that his spending cuts are fair have begun to unravel after the country's leading tax and spend thinktank revealed the poorest will be hit harder than the better off.In its analysis of the chancellor's spending review, the Institute for Fiscal Studies described the public spending cuts as the deepest since the second world war and said welfare benefits would suffer the biggest squeeze since the 1970s.The IFS also rebutted Osborne's claim that cuts to Whitehall spending would be lower than Labour's and dismissed figures showing education had survived the cuts relatively unscathed.It said a package of cuts unveiled yesterday would reinforce the "regressive" nature of the government's plans to tackle the deficit, including the £7bn of welfare cuts.Detailed analysis by the IFS undermining the government's case is expected to put intense pressure on Liberal Democrat ministers in the coalition who have stressed the need for tax rises and spending cuts to be progressive.The chancellor, who acknowledged that his package of £81bn of cuts had involved "hard choices", insisted yesterday that they are fair and would be borne by "those who have the broadest shoulders".But the IFS said that with the exception of the richest 2% of the population earning more than £150,000 a year, the less well off would be proportionately the hardest hit, with families with children the "biggest losers".Carl Emmerson, the IFS acting director, said: "The tax and benefit changes are regressive rather than progressive across most of the income distribution. And when we add in the new measures announced yesterday this is, unsurprisingly, reinforced."Our analysis continues to show that, with the notable exception of the richest 2%, the tax and benefit components of the fiscal consolidation are, overall, being implemented in a regressive way."James Browne, an IFS analyst, added: "Overall families with children seem to be the biggest losers."Browne said that while the Treasury had claimed the overall package was "progressive" – as a result of measures previously announced by former chancellor Alistair Darling - it had ignored a third of the welfare changes."The poorest are losing more as a proportion of their income as a result of these changes," he said.The IFS challenged Osborne's claim that the government's cuts to those departments whose budgets were not protected averaged 19% compared with 20% implied by Labour's plans.It said the Osborne's figures failed to take into account the £6bn of cuts already announced by the government this year while the actual figure under Labour would have been 16%.While education emerged as one of the winners yesterday, with a small real terms increase in schools spending, the IFS said that rising classroom numbers meant that spending per pupil would fall by 2.25% over the next four years.It said the 60% of primary school pupils and 87% of secondary school pupils were attending schools where spending would fall in real terms.The IFS also criticised plans to scrap council tax benefit and replace it with a system of locally administered council grants. It said that it would create a "postcode lottery", providing an incentive to councils to award grants in a way that encouraged poor families to leave the area."The incentive it provides to local authorities to encourage low-income people to move elsewhere is undesirable," Emmerson said.As the IFS briefed journalists on the report, David Cameron and his deputy, Nick Clegg, were answering voters' questions in Nottingham.Clegg insisted the rich were "genuinely paying the most" and urged voters to "have a little bit of perspective" about the cuts package.He told the audience it was important to see yesterday's benefit cuts in the context of other coalition policies designed to help the less well-off."People do not only think of themselves as recipients of benefits. There is also, 'How much does it cost to get childcare? What kind of education is my child getting at school? What am I getting back if I am doing some low-paid, part-time work?'" he said."That is how people live in the real world, and in the real world it is the richest that are paying the most – about that there is not doubt at all."Fairness was "literally the question I have been asking myself every single day of this very difficult process we have been going through", the deputy prime minister said."I honestly would not have advocated this if I didn't feel that, notwithstanding all the difficulties, we tried to do this as fairly as possible."Of course I understand people are very, very fearful, and fear is a very powerful emotion and it kind of sweeps everything else aside."But I would ask people to have a little bit of perspective: if you look at some of the announcements we made yesterday, and add that to some of the announcements we made in the budget, I think the picture is a little bit more balanced than people are saying."Spending review 2010Tax and spendingEconomic policyGeorge OsborneWelfareEconomicsThinktanksPhillip Inmanguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
UK infantry ban on women remains Women remain barred from close-combat roles in the UK armed forces, after a review says not enough evidence supports them joining the infantry. bbc.co.uk |
Injuries and arrests as anti-cuts protest in south-east London turns violent Police forced to call for reinforcements as hundreds force their way into Lewisham Council meetingPolice tonight arrested several people outside Lewisham town hall in south-east London as demonstrators tried to gatecrash a meeting where councillors were voting to cut the council budget by £60m.Officers had to call for help from the Metropolitan police's Territorial Support Group as 100 protesters tried to force their way into the building."Police have made a number of arrests for criminal damage and public order offences," the Met said in a statement. "A number of police officers were treated for minor injuries."Sue Luxton, a former Green party councillor who was returning home from work at 6.45pm, said she saw 200 to 300 protesters, including a large number of students from Goldsmiths College."People were angry because the council had arranged for only 40 people to attend the meeting, although many wanted to be there," Luxton said. "About 100 people tried to rush in. I think the police were little overwhelmed. There were police with riot shields and police horses. The area was cordoned off – buses couldn't get through."A YouTube video showed much pushing and shoving outside the town hall as police barred protesters holding "fight the cuts" placards and who were chanting: "Let us in."Darren Johnson, a Green councillor, said he voted against the cuts along with two Conservatives. The Labour majority voted in favour while the Liberal Democrats abstained."There are better ways of doing these rather deep cuts in frontline services," Johnson said. "I spoke of the importance of reducing high salaries of officers and cutting budgets for consultants, PR and marketing. These cuts will mean the closure of an early learning centre and less street cleaning."Local councils face large budget cuts after the coalition government significantly reduced local government funding in October's comprehensive spending review. Lewisham has to find savings of £60m in its annual £271m budget over the next three years. Mike Harris, the Labour vice-chair of the council, said: "Lewisham gets 82% of its income from central government. After the CSR, we expect our budget to be reduced by 29% which will have an absolutely devastating effect on local services. Tonight, protesters set off flames and attempted to storm the town hall. The sad thing is, people will get increasingly angry as the cuts begin to bite on the very poorest in society."ProtestLondonPoliceTax and spendingSpending review 2010Mark Tranguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |