North's parties critical of ‘devastating’ flat budget allocation

The North's political parties have broadly criticised a “flat budget allocation” set out by British Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris.

Sinn Fein finance spokesman Conor Murphy said the budget will have a “devastating impact” on workers and families.

“Spending on the economy and education has been cut. Funding for health flatlined. That is before inflation, pay for workers, and growing demands on public services are factored in.

“This budget will reduce public services, undermine prosperity, and stifle the development of our children. It will cause long-term and irreparable damage to our society and economy.

He said some people will “suffer” as a result of the budget measures.

“If the idea of this is to punish the DUP for not being in the Executive, the only people who will suffer as a consequence of this will be people who rely on public services or people who deliver public services.

“The absence of an executive is really reprehensible at this stage when this is the sort of outcome for the people that we collectively represent right across the North and particularly those who depend very much on Government functions and services.”

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said he was “disappointed” with the budget as he expressed concern the Government was “playing politics with public services”.

"Whilst we agree with and support the need for transformation of our services to better reflect the needs of our citizens, this will not be the outcome of this flat budget allocation.”

Asked if he thought the flat budget was essentially a “punishment” for the political impasse at Stormont, he told reporters outside Hillsborough Castle: “I think it is wrong for the Government to punish people in Northern Ireland.”

He added: “A flat budget against the backdrop where we have 10% inflation, where we have public sector workers who are looking for pay awards and there’s no provision for that, that doesn’t help anyone, it doesn’t help in terms of the delivery of public services.”

Alliance finance spokesman Andrew Muir said “deep cuts” will cause “irreparable harm”.

“This is an absolutely brutal budget for Northern Ireland, which will bring significant damage to our public services and our ability to develop our economy.”

He added: “While most departments may roughly be similar to last year in cash terms, this does not account for inflationary and pay pressures or other inescapable requirements.”

UUP leader Doug Beattie said the budget settlement was “grim”.

“That flat cash budget that we’ve got for departments is really a 10% decrease in real terms because there’s no inflationary add on to that whatsoever,” he said.

"More importantly, there’s no flexibility within it for anything coming towards any of the pay deals that we need to do with the likes of the nurses and suchlike.”

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said the budget will gut public services and devastate public sector workers.

“Flat cash budget lines will lead to flatlining services and further pay injustice for the public sector workers who have been left to deal with the consequences of a political boycott of government.”