Editorial: Extra money for Northern Ireland welcome, but Stormont must spend Budget cash boost wisely
The huge cash injection for Stormont from the chancellor’s Budget is to be welcomed, but there was a note of caution for ministers yesterday about how they handle it.
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Hide AdThe additional £1.5bn now available to the executive from the new government was welcomed by all parties, but there were familiar calls for more (the long term spending model to be changed).
A good test for whether the executive should be given more taxpayers’ money to spend in future is how they handle the extra money they’ve been given now.
There are many competing pressures, with health (which MLAs haven’t reformed in over 20 years) and policing chief amongst them, and ministers must clearly prioritise as they have said they would. The PSNI is already calling for additional funding to address the chronic staff shortages.
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Hide AdWhether the executive can agree to put extra money for Naomi Long’s department first will be an important test. Whether the minister herself decides to prioritise policing above other demands will be another.
The UUP’s Steve Aiken says “doing business as normal” cannot be an option for the executive – and money can’t be “squandered”. He wants the money used “effectively” in Stormont’s next budget cycle – and given that the UUP-run health department normally swallows up half of it, his own party will have to decide whether they can put their money where their mouth is and not try to spend their way out of the problems facing the NHS.
More spending is not always the answer. Former PM Rishi Sunak was scathing about the fact Labour have increased taxes, borrowing and spending – something he warned they would. But Labour has made its choices and Stormont – which likes low taxes and high spending – must too.
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