Here is a snapshot of some of the information recently receive and it shows how the government cuts are not only affecting the general public but also authorities up and down the country:
In relation to those councils who felt it necessary to turn off lights to save money.........
According to research carried out by the Times, road casualties in areas where street lights have been turned off have risen by 20% in four years. It found that 324 more people were killed or seriously injured in crashes at night on roads where street lights were unlit in 2011-12 than in 2009-10. Deaths rose by 39% to 25 and serious injuries rose by 27% to 225, analysis of 800,000 pieces of data collected by police showed. The Local Government Association said: "If councils were presented with evidence it 'turning off street lights' was causing a public safety risk they would act. However, this data fails to provide that evidence and it is completely misleading to suggest it tells us anything about the cause of accidents."
Increase in pauper funerals
Figures obtained through freedom of information requests to local councils across England, show that the number of people given "pauper's funerals" has risen by more than a third in the past five years. About 4,100 people were cremated anonymously or buried in mass graves with no headstone in 2013, against about 3,000 in 2009. The southwest saw a 102% increase between 2009 and 2013. In Cornwall the rise was 433%, and in Camden, north London, it was 183%
Bus subsidies cut back
A freedom of information request made by the Labour Party has shown that bus subsidies in England have been severely cut back by councils. The figures revealed that shire counties have cut their subsidies by 23% from an average of £5.62m in 2010-11 to £4.34m in 2013-14. While unitary authorities have made cuts of 24% from an average of £1.20m in 2010-11 to £910,000 in 2013-14. Labour said that the biggest real terms cuts to council support for bus services between 2010-11 and 2013-14 took place at Conservative-run authorities. Northamptonshire County Council cut its subsidy by 55%, Suffolk County Council by 50% and Hertfordshire County Council by 40%. Hilary Benn MP, the shadow communities and local government secretary, said: "It couldn't be clearer to residents that vital front-line services are disappearing dramatically as cuts to councils intensify. David Cameron needs to get a grip and ensure that elderly and disabled residents are not left stranded at home."
Fewer parents get first choice school
Several papers report that fewer parents are getting their children places at their first choice primary school. Many local authorities were set to inform parents yesterday of their offers for places. In Reading, only 75.7% of parents received their first choice, down from 77.4% last year. Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt criticised the government, commenting: "Before the 2010 general election, David Cameron promised us small schools and smaller class sizes. The reality is there are more than double the number of infants in class sizes of more than 30 and three times as many 'titan' primary schools with more than 800 children than in 2010”. However, in Suffolk, it is reported, 92% of applicants received their first preference primary on national offer day. Jane Merrick in the Independent argues that the country desperately needs more primary schools. The Times remarks that National Offer Day should be renamed National Destiny Day. The Independent describes the situation as a farce.
Office of National Statistics reveal wealth disparity in England
New figures from the ONS show household wealth has risen five times faster in London than the English average between 2006 and 2012. The median wealth across the country rose an average of 6% in those six years, while in London it shot up 31% - and fell 10% in the northeast. The ONS Wealth and Assets Survey also found that the richest 10% of households own 44% of the total wealth, while the bottom half owns 9%.
No comments:
Post a Comment