It's an unusual angle, but I'll share it, because Twitter. Lots of the money "spent on" Test and Trace hasn't actually been spent. It's sat on in imaginary budget somewhere in case it's needed. Sounds fine? No, it infuriates me. Because no local government ever gets that benefit.
Local governments had to go out and spend what it takes, were promised their costs would be covered, then they weren't. And while they beg for the money, T&T gets to sit on billions.
Transport for the North, having spent less this year for pandemic reasons, wanted to return to spending its usual amount next year, but they just got their budget cut to the lower level (which the PM then lied and continues to lie to the House of Commons about).
Next week is the peak of March Madness. It's where people like me get the emails asking for pitches to weird small budgets as long as I can send the invoice before the 5th of April, because otherwise the budgets get swallowed up in a big chain in practice all the way to Treasury.
So "it's not actually all been spent, it's just resting in the account" will rightly calm down most people. But not really me. Because it just puts into such sharp focus everything else.
Just to get a feel of what the T&T money would be doing if it wasn't "just resting in the account". It could be funding Bradford city council to continue their amazing door to door testing service. A service that encourages vaccination too. yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/politics/…
Because, believe it or not, when a group of council staff, one of whom can probably speak "talking to Grandma" level Punjabi or Urdu or Polish, with Bradford City Council badges and high vis vests pops round to say hello and give out the vaccination leaflet,... that works.
Had to go get a cup of tea. Imagine the number of cups of tea declined in Bradford on the door to door testing run. "I'd love to, but we're in a rush, and obviously we're not allowed inside or to take these masks off". Bet it's every other door. And during a test series.
It'll be ten minutes before they can even get started talking about Covid unless they've got the script perfect.
ps. here is something that the Swedish government did early in the pandemic which I suspect has really helped it save lives. It pushed out loads of emergency big lumps of (okay, it's digital and imaginary strictly) real cash to municipalities and regions. government.se/press-releases…
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
