• AMID this week’s chaos, the government’s spending review seems to have slipped off the radar. Teachers in Camden are only too aware of the pressures on our schools and emergency services, but the chancellor’s latest statement will do little to improve things.

Since 2010 we have seen budgets slashed and then slashed again. Last week’s announcements barely take us back to 2010 levels, despite costs being higher and the misery of austerity already felt by working people.

We hear phrases such as “more police on our streets”, but then learn that police numbers will barely reach 2010 levels. We hear about “billions more for our education budget”, yet schools are still fundraising for basic materials.

I doubt anybody with real-world experience, so clearly lacking at the top of this Conservative government, will fail to see these spending announcements for what they are – a con designed to deceive the public, a matter of weeks before a general election. I’ve no doubt I’m not the only person unimpressed.

PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHER