YET again we are seeing organisations demanding money that just is not available.

Whilst I have extreme sympathy for the first (NHS staff) given all they have done over the last year, the pandemic has left the coffers almost empty.

I would ordinarily agree 1% is a derisory amount in normal circumstances, and we are [hopefully] coming out of a pandemic which has seen the UK's borrowing exceed levels never before recorded.

All other public sectors are being given no raise whatsoever. I'm in the public sector and like many am disappointed that my salary will not increase (which is I have to say is around £4,000 p.a. less than most nurses) but sacrifices have to be made.

When written into legislation by the then new Government, there was no hint of the crisis which everyone across the world would be engulfed in.

As to overseas aid packages being cut by more than half, again, whilst it is not the route anyone would want, there is only so much money to go around.

Overseas aid may be obligatory, the amount is not; they will receive money just less than previously and when looking at all the costs attributed to the pandemic around the world, I think Britain has done very well for most (albeit not all).

We need to accept money has to be saved and that automatically means we must lower our expectations. I just hope that when MPs salary rises are proposed, they too get nothing more than the rest of the public sector.

Maria Williams

Wool