The UK’s devolved administrations pledged today to cooperate in the face of central government cuts but warned that pain could not be avoided.
The parliaments in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales will have to make combined savings of £704 million following the announcement from the Westminster coalition today.
Northern Ireland’s share amounts to some £128 million.
Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones and Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness met at Stormont today.
The political leaders are considering deferring cuts to next year and called today for Prime Minister David Cameron to respect their legislatures.
“There is going to be more pain ahead and what we have to do is prepare for it,” Mr McGuinness said.
The three devolved administrations are expected to push for more cash to match some of the regeneration money being spent in London for the 2012 Olympics.
The Scottish Government has decided to delay making £332 million in savings until next year. The budget for 2010/11 has already been passed by Holyrood. Wales’s devolved administration will lose £187 million through spending cuts.
“All of our administrations know and understand that we are facing very difficult times ahead,” Mr McGuinness added. “Peter and I have discussed how we will deal with the situation that is before us as a result of the announcement today.”
He said the priority would be defending plans to build the economy and protect public services.
“We are all conscious that the British government are going to announce a budget in something like 45 days’ time and we all know that the next number of years are going to be very, very difficult, so nobody should be under any illusion that the announcements made today is the end of it,” he said.
Mr Robinson said the three administrations would work together, but would each decide on how best to handle the possible deferment of some cuts.
“We will each talk to colleagues and we will decide what’s best in our own interests, in our own administration. There does not have to be a collective view on this matter,” he said. “My current thinking is we should defer some of the cuts until next year. The extent to which we can do that, none of us know at this stage.”
He said politicians would need further details on how the cuts will be introduced before they knew which cuts could be deferred and which would be best introduced in the near future.