Cuts Plans Hidden by Tuc

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The TUC leaders knew well ¿fore the Special Congress septance of the 43% pay cal that huge public spending its are to follow.

And one of Callaghan's first jobs i Prime Minister was to commisan a list of proposed cuts to be mplemented as soon as the pay ial was forced through.

These facts emerged from weekud speculation in the Tory press as • when and how much the cuts l be.

There is no question, however, * there will be huge cuts or that hey will focus on the already hard It social services.

This is in line with persistent *mands from the international bakers over recent weeks.

PRESSURE

This week it was the United *tes administration and the BCD putting on the pressure as underlined that fur *r support for the pound would • conditional on reduced governat expenditure.

At home, more cuts are already ¡der way as Shore, the Environlent Secretary, takes steps to impose a cutback of £400 million this year from the present level of expenditure by local authorities.

There have been so many cuts and plans for cuts by this Labour government that it is hard to keep track of the guillotine strokes.

RESTORED

When Labour were swept into office on the wave of working class militancy in 1974 they almost immediately restored the cuts imposed by the Tories in 1973.

By November 1974, though, Healey was announcing cuts in planned spending for the next four yeals.

These were spelled out in detail in January 1975. In April of that year further cuts were announced.

Early this year the White Paper announced even more drastic cuts. The plans for 1978-9 were for a cutback on current expenditure on Health of 3%, Housing 8%, Education 9%%, and Transport 21%; this from the already twice pruned Investment in the social services was to be decimated. School buil ding, for example, was to fall by