The Price of Cutting Costs

Reduced Spend on NHS a False Economy

With the UK economy not great you may still feel decisions by the UK Government to reduce spending on public services won’t adversely affect your community.

Fraser Wilson’s article (Milngavie and Bearsden Herald, 01/02/24) last week covered the possible closure of the local police station.  Several face closure due to the UK Government policy of deliberately reducing spending on public services.  The situation made worse by huge energy cost increases. Our oil and gas resources have been fully privatised by UK Governments, so we have to compete for these those on the world energy market.  

Also, despite transferring up to 3.5 Megawatts of our cheaper-to-produce renewable electricity to England, we pay high electricity prices based on electricity produced by gas-fired electricity generation in England.

Another effect of UK Government public spending cuts is highlighted in another article last week. The reduced value of the salaries of health and care workers, exacerbated by high inflation due to energy costs, makes recruitment difficult.  This is clearly illustrated by the low proportion of younger nurses.  Recruitment and retaining staff is a problem throughout the health and care sectors.

This is particularly exasperating as, apart from severe adverse effects on the population’s wellbeing, recent research shows reduced spending on the NHS actually costs the economy four times that reduced expenditure.  The consequences of reduced staff numbers include “lost independence, increasing care needs, more crisis hospital and care home admissions.”  So people not only suffer but are unable to work and contribute to the economy and require more costly care.  Your community and family will increasingly suffer.

Escaping these policies, enforced by UK Governments Scotland didn’t vote for, will improve wellbeing and the economy.  

Why stay with a UK which is being steered in the wrong direction?

Jim Stamper
01/02/24

First printed in the 1st February issue of the Milngavie and Bearsden Herald.

Links:

Electricity transfers to England

Scotland-England Electricity Transfers | Energy Matters (euanmearns.com)

Research indicating economic benefit of investing in the NHS

Presentation title (nhsconfed.org)