United Kingdom government austerity programme facts for kids

The United Kingdom government deficit reduction programme was a plan to spend less money. Its main goal was to lower the amount of money the government owed. It also aimed to change how the government helped people. But some important areas, like the NHS (healthcare) and schools, were kept safe from these spending cuts.

Understanding UK Government Spending Cuts

This plan started in 2010. It was put in place by a special government. This government was a team of two political parties: the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. They worked together to lead the country.

Why the Government Cut Spending

The main reason for the plan was to fix the country's money problems. The government wanted to stop spending more money than it collected. They hoped to balance the country's books. This meant making sure that by 2015–16, the government was not borrowing too much.

When the Plan Changed

At first, the plan was supposed to end around 2015 or 2016. But in 2014, the government department in charge of money, called the Treasury, decided to keep the plan going. They extended the time for these spending cuts until at least 2018. This meant the government continued to try and save money for a longer time.

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  UK median household disposable income by income group for 2008–2016, indexed to 2008