DEFRA’s budget cut by £162m

Chancellor George Osborne names DEFRA in spending cut plans

DEFRA, the government department responsible for inland and coastal waters, is to have its budget slashed by £162m as part of sweeping cuts designed to wipe out “wasteful spending”.

Chancellor George Osborne outlined plans today to cut £6.2bn from governmental budgets to begin to reduce Britain’s national deficit.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will lose 5.5% of its 2010/11 budget by limiting recruitment and making ‘efficiencies’ in flood management, IT, estates and procurement, and a reduced budget for the delivery of selected programmes.

Speaking in London this morning, Mr Osborne said the cuts were necessary to tackle Britain’s £156 billion budget deficit.

“This is just the first step towards creating better public services, a stronger economy and a fairer society. It will not be the last,” he said.

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“I want people to know in the years ahead that we do this not for its own sake but in order to improve the quality of people’s lives and build a better economic future.”

“We inherited an economic mess, but we can come out of it stronger.”

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