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Osborne's choices for spending cuts Osborne's choices for spending cuts
(3 months later)
You reported last week (20 June) that the schools budget was likely to receive a flat-rate settlement in real terms. You also reported (22 June) that admissions to primary schools increased by nearly 100,000 on the year, with the National Audit Office forecasting that admissions would rise by another 240,000 in September this year. With an increase in the numbers of children coming in to primary schools and the raising of the participation age to 17, shouldn't the education budget be increasing to take account of this? Any flat-rate settlement surely constitutes a significant budget cut in real terms?
Lesley Classick
Iver, Buckinghamshire 		You reported last week (20 June) that the schools budget was likely to receive a flat-rate settlement in real terms. You also reported (22 June) that admissions to primary schools increased by nearly 100,000 on the year, with the National Audit Office forecasting that admissions would rise by another 240,000 in September this year. With an increase in the numbers of children coming in to primary schools and the raising of the participation age to 17, shouldn't the education budget be increasing to take account of this? Any flat-rate settlement surely constitutes a significant budget cut in real terms?
Lesley Classick
Iver, Buckinghamshire
• Today, George Osborne is expected to announce funding for several big new road projects, including the £1.5bn A14 bypass (Report, 24 June). However, with government, big business and local councils pushing over 200 other road schemes, these are just the tip of the iceberg. Last weekend we travelled 250 miles from Hastings – site of the £100m Bexhill-Hastings link road – to the Peak District, and built a 50m "dual carriageway" on Mr Osborne's doorstep to raise the alarm. Affecting four national parks, seven areas of outstanding natural beauty, 39 sites of special scientific interest, 64 ancient woods and 234 local wildlife sites, these roads represent a major assault on our countryside. Building new roads is bad for jobs, for our countryside and for our warming climate. It will be met with sustained peaceful resistance.
Denise Berry, Chris Bluemel, Anthony Bradnum, Gabriel Carlyle, Agatha Coffey, Sarah Evans, Karl Horton, Maria Gallastegui, Simon Medhurst, Rosamond Palmer, Rebecca Snotflower		• Today, George Osborne is expected to announce funding for several big new road projects, including the £1.5bn A14 bypass (Report, 24 June). However, with government, big business and local councils pushing over 200 other road schemes, these are just the tip of the iceberg. Last weekend we travelled 250 miles from Hastings – site of the £100m Bexhill-Hastings link road – to the Peak District, and built a 50m "dual carriageway" on Mr Osborne's doorstep to raise the alarm. Affecting four national parks, seven areas of outstanding natural beauty, 39 sites of special scientific interest, 64 ancient woods and 234 local wildlife sites, these roads represent a major assault on our countryside. Building new roads is bad for jobs, for our countryside and for our warming climate. It will be met with sustained peaceful resistance.
Denise Berry, Chris Bluemel, Anthony Bradnum, Gabriel Carlyle, Agatha Coffey, Sarah Evans, Karl Horton, Maria Gallastegui, Simon Medhurst, Rosamond Palmer, Rebecca Snotflower
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