Cost-cutting plan an ‘attack on poor’

Cost-cutting measures outlined by Stormont officials are an “attack on the poor”, a trade unionist has claimed.

And Lily Kerr called on politicians to “get off the sidelines” and resist the proposals.

The Unison leader said “political dogma” is driving what she called a “wish list” of ideas to balance the books, including paying for domiciliary care, prescription charges, health workers charged for car parking and a rise in people’s household rates bills.

The plans were outlined in an official briefing paper from the Department of Finance in which the state of Stormont’s finances were laid bare. The unusual move comes against the backdrop of there being no ministers in place to make budget decisions.

Scenarios set out in the document envisage full ring-fencing of health and education spending, with protections for welfare mitigation measures and a proportion of the police budget.

The first proposal would see the majority of departments sustaining a 4% cut next year and an 8% cut in 2019/20. Scenario two proposes offsetting a proportion of those cuts by raising additional revenue through policies such as increasing the regional rate and/or tuition fees, ending universal free prescriptions and raising the age for free public transport.

The third plan envisages fewer revenue raising steps and deeper cuts for non-protected departments – 7% in 2018/19 and 12% in 19/20.

Ms Kerr warned: “People are going to bed worried tonight.

“They are barely making ends meet as it is and there could be rates rises coming down the line, they could be paying for prescriptions, care for elderly relatives.”

She dismissed the suggestion paying for prescriptions could save £20million.