(世界新聞)：North of England hardest hit by government cuts

北英格蘭受政府縮減支出影響最深

The north of England has seen the biggest cuts in government spending over the past five years, official figures show.

官方圖表顯示，北英格蘭過去五年受政府支出縮減的影響最深。

來源：BBC, David Rhodes, 21 NOV 2017, 原文網址


Spending in the north has fallen by £696m in real terms since 2012, while the south of England has seen an increase of £7bn.
由2012年起，實質上的支出已經減少了六億九千六百萬英鎊，同一時期南英格蘭卻增加了七十億英鎊。

Labour have called on the government to end its austerity programme in the budget on Wednesday.
週三工黨已呼籲政府結束財政上的撙節措施

A Treasury spokesperson said every region in England is funded fairly.
財政部發言人表示資金是公平的分配到每個區域。

Analysing the latest government figures on public spending, BBC News has found that every region in the north of England has seen a real terms fall in government spending since 2012, while every other part of England has seen an increase.
由政府最新的公共支出圖表分析，BBC發現英格蘭北部每一省份的政府支出實質上由2012年起便下滑，與此同時英格蘭的其他省份則都有上升。

Although budget cuts have affected public services such as schools, police forces and local councils across England, the latest figures show that overall cuts in the north have been disproportionately greater.
雖然支出縮減影響如教育、警政與地方政府等的公共服務是攸關整個英格蘭的，但最新的圖表顯示北方省份的減支簡直不成比例的多。

That has left head teachers like Dave Brown in York struggling to balance his schools' books.
這讓校長們，如約克的Dave Brown先生。難以打平學校的收支。

He said: "I run one of the most deprived primary schools in York, and austerity has meant it's become increasingly hard to buy the equipment we need for the children, while maintaining the school buildings, and there are days when I don't have the money to bring in supply teachers."
他表示"我在約克經營著一個最為窮困的小學，而撙節政策意味著當維護學校硬體設施時將更難以購置孩童所需的設備，而且我已經有一段時間沒有可提供給老師支援的經費了"。

Since 2010, West Yorkshire Police has lost over 1,000 police officers and Mark Burns-Williamson, the county's Labour Police and Crime Commissioner, says the force still has a £15m black hole in its budget.
2010年起，西約克夏警隊已經少了超過1000名警員。而Mark Burns-Williamson（工黨）該郡的警政專員表示警隊還有一千五百萬英鎊的財務黑洞。

"The government doesn't value public service workers and policing in the way that it should, because austerity has meant that the cuts to our budgets have been sustained, and it's time that was changed," he added.
他還說"政府並不重視公務員也不好好制定政策，由於撙節措施代表著我們承受著開支縮減的壓力，而現在是時候改變了。"

While public spending in the north has fallen, spending increases in the south have been driven predominately by extra investment in the NHS, and spending on transport projects such as Crossrail in London.
當北方省份的公共支出在縮減同時，南方省份支出的增加主要是起因於健保的額外支出、以及如倫敦橫貫鐵路（Crossrail）的運輸建設計畫

Most regions in the north still receive more funding per person than other regions in the midlands and south of England.
大部分的北方省份其人均公共支出仍高於其他英格蘭中部與南部省份。

Government spending per person, by region or nation, 2016-17:

Northern Ireland - £11,042
Scotland - £10,651
London - £10,192
Wales - £10,076
North East - £9,680
North West - £9,429
UK average - £9,159
West Midlands - £8,846
Yorkshire and the Humber - £8,810
South West - £8,549
East Midlands - £8,282
East - £8,155
South East - £8,111
Source: HM Treasury

Furthermore, the number of unemployed people in the north has fallen from 646,000 in 2012-13 to 382,000 in 2016-17, a fall of more than 40%, according to the Office for National Statistics.
此外根據英國國家統計局的數字，北方的失業人口數由2012-13年的六十四萬六千下降至2016-17年的三十八萬兩千，下降幅度超過四成。

"We've seen huge numbers of jobs created across the north because of the responsible way the government has managed the public finances," says Stuart Andrew, the Conservative MP for Pudsey, in West Yorkshire.
西約克夏郡的帕德希鎮保守黨議員Stuart Andrew說："由於政府在公共財政上採取了負責任的作法，我們看到了北方省份創造出了很多就業機會。"

"Businesses have created new jobs because they have confidence in the government, and we can't afford to lose that confidence by becoming irresponsible with the public finances, and people still understand that as a country we have to continue to live within our means."
由於生意人對政府有信心，所以創造出新的就業機會。要是在公共財政的態度上變得不負責導致失去人們的信心，這我們可受不起。

Ahead of the government's budget announcement on Wednesday, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell called on the government to end its austerity programme, saying Labour would spend an extra £17bn on public services each year
在週三政府預算公佈之前，反對黨領袖John McDonnell就呼籲政府終結撙節計畫，並說工黨打算每年在公共服務上多投入一百七十億英鎊。

Asked about whether the government's austerity programme would end, Chancellor Philip Hammond told the Andrew Marr programme that "our public servants are doing a remarkable job in what I acknowledge are difficult circumstances".
當被問到政府撙節措施是否結束時，財政大臣Philip Hammond告訴名嘴Andrew Marr說："我們的公務員在現在這樣艱難環境下還是幹的非常漂亮"

A Treasury spokesperson said: "We fund every region fairly, and are committed to spreading opportunity and prosperity across the whole country.
財政部發言人表示："我們對每個省份都公平的注資，並承諾廣佈機會與財富至國內的每個區域"

"We have a strong record of funding the North and will invest over £13 billion in transport there by 2020, more than any Government in history.
我們在注資到北方省份上有良好的紀錄，並且到2020年前還將會在交通建設上投資一百三十億英鎊，這是有史以來沒有哪一個政府作到的。

"We have also backed the Northern Powerhouse with a further £2.25 billion in extra funding through devolution deals, giving directly-elected mayors further financial clout and the powers to boost their areas."
"透過權力下放的方式，我們還會額外注資二十二億五千萬英鎊到"北方啟動"經建計畫中。給民選市長更進一步的財源與力量去建設他們的家園。"

註釋：
balance the books: 平衡收支
NHS: National Health Service 英國健保制度
MP, members of parliament: 國會議員
Shadow Chancellor: 影子總理，其實是反對黨領袖的意思
Northern Powerhouse: 英國政府提出的經建計畫，範圍涵蓋交通、科技等基建項目。