The Institute of Fiscal Studies estimates that “under Autumn Statement plans Conservatives could be cutting unprotected budgets by 26% after 2015-16, or an extraordinary 41% over the whole period from 2010” says GMB

Tim Roache, GMB Yorkshire & North Derbyshire regional secretary said, “GMB members in local authorities echo the concern at the level of council spending on agency workers. GMB has monitored this for many years and we have tried to rein it in. The reasons councils end up employing agency staff are well known. Councils made too many people redundant in the first place and then found they could not operate their services without taking those people back on. In addition because council pay is so low many staff have left their permanent jobs to become agency workers and double their earnings. 
One of the major reasons has been the constant change and reorganisation as councils struggle to cope with government imposed austerity. This has led to a managerial merry-go-round for consultants brought in to bolster existing managers, often on six-figure salaries.

It all stems from a combination of a lack of strategic workforce planning and panic reactions to budget cuts. Councils are in a mess and this is another example of where the Government has been penny wise and pound foolish. This is not sensible nor is it an isolated case of where setting out to save money actually costs more in the end. It is why George Osborne will borrow more money in five years than Labour Chancellors did in the previous 13 years.

The Institute of Fiscal Studies said on 13th Jan that “ Under Autumn Statement plans Conservatives could be cutting unprotected budgets by 26% after 2015-16, or an extraordinary 41% over the whole period from 2010”. Cuts in expenditure of this order for law enforcement, armed forces, social and community services and public sector pay are not remotely realistic.
That is the harsh reality of the choice to be made at the next election.”