This parliament has seen substantial real-term cuts to departments’ budgets. In the December 2014 Autumn Statement, the coalition government confirmed its plans to cut departmental spending by 10% in real terms between 2010-11 and 2015-16. The plans also included further deep cuts beyond 2015-16, of 14% by 2019-20. 

If these are implemented then departments’ budgets will be on average over one fifth smaller in 2019–20 than they were in 2010–11.

What might this mean for departmental spending? To get a sense of the magnitudes involved, take the example of the government workforce as something departments spent a relatively large proportion of their budget on. Between 2009-10 and 2015-16, there are planned cuts to the general government workforce of around 500,000.