Peter Black's conjuring up of John Redwood refers. Last night's Sharp End interview with a Labour government minister revealed that large underspends were common in Cardiff Bay. The Welsh government had been habitually allowed to carry over the funds by the sloppy governments of Johnson and Truss. However, it was only a matter of time before a more rigorous administration in Whitehall applied the rules strictly and reclaimed the money left over at the end of this financial year.
Finance minister Rebecca Evans has had over four years in the job. She should now have enough experience to spot where timetables are not being met and be able to switch funds accordingly. "Virement" is the term if I recall correctly and Neath Port Talbot officers were adept at it during my time as a councillor. I doubt that they are any less nimble now. If a local authority can do it, why not our national government?
Only a month ago, health minister Eluned Morgan claimed for her pay offer to the nurses:
It is important to be clear that this offer is the maximum we can afford to make for 22/23 pay offer and we have been open and transparent about our financial constraints with our social partners. Due to the constraints imposed by the fiscal framework within which the Welsh Government operates, the funding for the costs in the current financial year only remains available until the end of March. The reality is, that if this offer is rejected we will be unable to make any higher pay offer for 22/23.
Now we know that there were a few millions more in the Welsh coffers. Even if they could not be included in regular pay, there could have been an increase in the one-off bonus in recognition of the work GIG workers had put in during the Covid-19 epidemic. Using the workforce figures from the Pay Review Body report, that would have meant an extra £1,400 per worker, or over £2,000 if restricted to front-line and technical staff.
No comments:
Post a Comment