A new public services: five questions
By Patrick Butler
Source: The Guardian
Over the past two weeks, Guardian writers, readers, experts and frontline staff have debated cuts to the NHS, schools and social care. Here we sum up the key themes, and ask politicians what they would do The prospect of a squeeze in spending has triggered two main responses: fear, that a “slash-and-burn” approach to public-service budgets would fuel social unrest, and optimism, that “clever cuts” could result in the development of more efficient, sustainable and user-responsive services. Cuts are inevitable, but a short-term approach – simply shrinking budgets, or “cutting the state down to size” – will damage schools, health and welfare services. It is crucial to tackle waste and excess, but we must think carefully and radically about what public services we want, and how to deliver them more effectively. Those are the key messages from readers and contributors to the Guardian’s series A New Public Services, distilled from hundreds of contributions to the debate in print and online, over the past two weeks.
Sullo stesso argomento leggi questo contributo da UK Poverty Post.
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