Britain was ‘grossly unprepared for Covid due to years of austerity’ | British News

Years of austerity measures have left the UK grossly unprepared for the pandemic, according to a new report.

The TUC said funding cuts reduced the ability to respond to the crisis, leaving health and social services “dangerously understaffed”.

The report said that a secure workforce in health and social services has been undermined by multi-year salary caps and pay freezes, making it difficult to hire staff and leading to increased staff turnover.

The capacity of the public service has been damaged by “severe cuts” in almost all parts of the public sector, it said.

In 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic began, per capita spending on social welfare, transport, housing, childcare, schools, higher education, police, fire services and environmental protection was lower than in 2010, according to the TUC.

She claimed this limited the ability of public services to effectively contribute to civil emergencies and effectively continue essential activities such as child rearing.

The report added that during the pandemic, as workplace risks multiplied, workplace inspections and enforcement notices fell to an all-time low.

Funding for the health and safety agency in 2021/22 was 43% lower in real terms than in 2009/10 due to staff cuts, it said.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “To learn lessons and save future lives, we must take an unwavering look at the decisions our leaders made in the years leading up to the pandemic.”

“In the NHS and social services, funding cuts are putting staffing levels at risk.”

“Cuts to Social Security have pushed many more people below the poverty line and made them more vulnerable to infection, and cuts to health and safety have left workers exposed to fraudulent employers who cut corners and put their lives on the line.”

“Austerity has cost the nation dearly.” We were totally unprepared for the pandemic and far too many workers were left unprotected. The consequences were painful and tragic.

“The investigation is our chance to learn lessons from this — and to understand why we need to rebuild our public services to be strong enough to protect us in a future crisis.”

The report comes ahead of a joint press conference with the group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice on Monday about the lessons they say need to be learned from the UK’s Covid-19 inquiry

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