What Government expenditure would you cut do you think?

[Wafflefudge]

Having seen quite a few posts recently which seem to be focused on disability spending being unaffordable and needing to be cut it has prompted me to think about what could actually be cut without causing issues/ knock ons that would be more costly long term.
I think perhaps for people who aren't disabled or with disabled children they see this as an easy cut. But we can of course all think of cuts that wouldn't directly or immediately affect us.
I personally dont think any cuts are particularly easy or straightforward though.
Off the top of my head I'd maybe cut libraries as they've put such short hours in place that they are barely useable anyway. Or perhaps maximise making money from them. But recognise this would be a drop in the ocean of public expenditure.
Id be interested in others opinions on where cuts might work. I'm sure answers will vary considerably depending on personal circumstances

Ooh this is a good one. I think mine would have to look at where a big percentage of the money goes, like social care and almost wipe the whole current thought process of the system clean and start again from scratch. With the intention to fine new / innovative / out of the box / potentially quite logical ideas of meeting the needs of the service users whilst making savings.

I could never bring myself to completely close libraries particularly in areas of deprivation where some children may not own any of their own books. So I agree with you about having some money making ideas. Hiring a section of the library or maybe getting them to help with wider council customer service in the community, maybe even run them as polling stations so lots of schools do not have to close causing children to take time off school.

MPs' salaries 😂

Our library is open 8 hours a day, 7 days a week, some earlies some lates.

It has a small art gallery space, computers, children’s activities, all the books and various classes. There are always people in there, it’s so valuable on a number of levels.

Subsidised canteen at Westminster which costs the taxpayer £7 million a year.

Military, surely?

I think there is a lot of wastage though, rather than whole areas that need to go. A wholly state owned building/construction branch of government rather than putting works out to tender for instance. So no contractors taking enormous profits - engineers and labourers would be civil servants, building housing, roads etc.

That's great @1990s.
Where I live libraries are open for instance 10-1pm on a Tues and Thursday. That kind of thing and it just seems like it won't be beneficial to many people for the cost. Especially when they have a leadership team in place for the county.
If they could make them work well enough to be open any length of time then I'd believe they'd provide a real, positive benefit.

I would charge for missed NHS appointments.

I would organise for the NHS to have more group sessions for the elderly so they don't block GP appointments because they just want people to chat to.

I would introduce more speed cameras and charge the heck out of people who speed to pay for road repairs.

I would reduce the number of MPs and increase the boundaries they cover.

I would introduce better ways to live more communally where more things (including supporting each other) are shared.

I would tax the heck out of the big corporations who have deliberately avoided proper tax arrangements for years.

As a quick response:

Foreign aid: 7.2bn in 2023
Ukraine aid: 3bn in 2023
Asylum seekers: 4.6bn in 2023
Ed Millibands Green Africa project: 11bn
Payments to EU for leaving: 0.9bn per month!

Libraries serve as social hubs, provide access to computers and printers, often have groups like baby rhyme time, book clubs etc for people who are socially isolated, are a warm, safe space for people who are vulnerable. They are about much more than the books in them. So I’d be loathe to close them.

Id be looking at things higher up the socio economic ladder - closing tax loopholes, that sort of thing.

MPs expenses, so they have to travel standard class where possible, decoration costs (remember the wallpaper in number 10), wining and dining - of course there needs to be some kind of allowance but it should be capped and if they want to splash out they can top it up from their salary like the rest of us.

Then they'd just expense it and cost us more despite the fact they can more than avoid to buy their own lunch 😕

I'd cut local government vanity schemes, like the millions that Oxon is spending on limiting travel within the city and making every possible road 20mph. Spending money on that rather than social care and NHS is criminal in my view. There may be a claim that reduced air pollution etc etc, but it's too much of a stretch for current priorities.

Expenses.

I would cut UC in half for anyone unemployed for more than 18 months.

All the prime ministers who receive a large pension for being prime ministers. Mean test that FFS!!!!!!!

It's a hard question to answer. I do think the whole disability benefit system needs to be looked at asap. The problem is there are so many areas that need more funding at the moment. Adult social care is in a mess with no real plan of ho w to pay for increasing care bills, councils going bust etc. I honestly don't think we can cut things like defense spending with two wars raging that we could be dragged into. We have huge compensation bills still to settle like the bad blood scandal and post office, waspi women etc. Everything needs major reform or huge investment - NHS, education, prisons etc yet no-one wants to pay more to fund it. I find it all depressing to be honest. I think there's a huge amount of government money wasted on giving money to private landlords through Universal credit when more social housing should have been invested in but that's also a huge job to put right now. So many bad decisions made by governments of the last 20 years.

Ok so people have to survive on £40 a week instead of £80 ? This is not where most of the benefits bill is going !

Like @Fizzypineapple, I would get the taxes from the wealthy corporations and individuals who have all avoided paying tax for years. That would balance the books.
Everyone is up in arms about the pensioners winter fuel allowance but how about stopping the energy firms charging so much in the first place. I know costs have increased but these companies and their senior people are raking it in.

Hs2 - scrap it altogether.
Foreign aid - I would rather the government gave money to the charities working in those countries as most of the governments are utterly corrupt and don't do what they should with the money. I don't begrudge the people in those countries the money at all but they don't see it!!

I’d stop any money going to the Royal family - last year it was £86.3 million.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-57559653.amp

MP second homes. There's private student halls of residences which have en-suites and kitchenettes, so there's privacy for residents. Some have 24/7 concierges for post, security etc. Something like that in London with for MPs could work.

Also end false economy. Lots of people are too disabled or unwell to work because of NHS delays or doctor fobbing off, or because of bad housing, or because of the punitive benefits system that makes people more ill due to poverty and stress, or because of shit social services who fail to give timely and effective help.

Also address employer disability (and age, and career gaps) discrimination.

It might cost money at first but it works out cheaper in the end. For example, providing more social housing. Billions is spent on (crappy) temporary accomodation. That money would be better spent on building more social rented homes.

Illegal Migration and putting people up in hotels and English lessons must be expensive .
Some councils are bankrupted by SEND costs
and Social care.
Fuel companies are raking it in.Gas and electricity.
Nationalise them.

Close tax loopholes for the tax avoiding companies and wealthy before we cut anymore. The country is on its knees, there isn’t much more to cut!

So stuff anyone who is worse off than you e.g. the disabled, the refugees etc?