Day 25: Best of British

The big day... The Spending Review coverage is in and the public reaction seems to be that 'something must be done' but none of the things which have been announced by the Coalition.

Firstly it's worth noting that the average cuts are reported as being just 19%... Now I've managed to cut 26%, so I shall wait for George and Danny to ask me to advise them!

Well, in case they don't...

What's striking about the coverage is that it appears the numbers are still being reported at headline level and as I have said before, the devil is always in the detail.

And the detail is where comparisons with my own tiny experiment can be drawn.

Take a occupational therapist who takes their client (dread term) out to a cuppa to discuss their issues once a week. For some people, getting to the stage of going to a certain cafe once a week may be a major achievement. Under the 27% cuts to local government, does this worker now have to spend 73p rather than £1 on the tea? Does this mean going to a new place? Will it mean unsettling the client? Will the client regress and need support for longer, costing the tax payer more?

Or the social worker who no longer has the budget to take a young person on a day trip at which they confide to them they have been abused. What cost to society of not helping this child?

Yes, these are very specific issues which, government will say is upto local authorities to sort out. But who is checking local authorities? Not the Audit Commission or Standards England (axed quangos). Ofsted maybe, but with reduced budget to deliver the same service?

My concern is not that cuts are needed, but that this level of thinking through is not being done by ministers.

Anyway, this is getting all very political. Best go back to the purpose of the blog...

Edinburgh is not a cheap city, £3.25 pints, £10 dinner, £11 to enter Dynamic Earth.

This last bit of spending made me think of the other consequence of the Review... If the cuts mean museums are no longer free or the cost of travel rises, all the savings I've made so far could be wiped out by maintaining a life where I actually go and see the best of what Britain has to offer.

______________________________
Sent from my iPhone, please excuse the typos.