Spending Review: The analyst's view

The Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) published on 20 October provides details of how Whitehall departments will reduce their budgets over the next four years as ministers look to cut spending by £83bn to address the £935bn national debt and £109bn structural deficit. Government spending in 2009-10 was £669bn, next year expenditure will be £651bn, says the chancellor and it will rise steadily to £693bn by 2014/15. It is a cut in real terms, because spending is planned to rise more slowly than inflation. According to Government the drivers for change were reform, fairness and growth...