Backlash from unions and charities following government’s 2025 spring statement

Today, 26 March, the government announced its 2025 spring statement in parliament, which has since received backlash from unions and charities around the country.

The statement mainly focused on the economy, defence, taxes, welfare, departmental cuts, housing, and more.

Concern has been expressed about the negative impact of benefit cuts on families and children, as well as the lack of information surrounding education.

Responding to today’s spring statement, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “While there was little in the spring statement on education, school leaders will be anxious to understand what some of the chancellor’s headline announcements on public finances will mean for schools, including the reduction in day-to-day spending above-inflation in future years and the annual increase in capital funding.

“The chancellor’s emphasis on how cuts to capital spending under the previous government left school roofs crumbling will raise hopes of desperately needed further investment in buildings which are no longer fit for purpose.

“School budgets remain under severe pressure after years of under-investment. It will be absolutely vital that they are protected and built upon in the multi-year June spending review, with additional funding urgently needed for core services, supporting children with educational needs, and the school estate.

“Without sustained long-term investment, it will only become more difficult for school leaders to provide the learning experience all pupils deserve.”

Mark Russell, chief executive of The Children’s Society, said: “This is a step backwards. Instead of taking the opportunity to lift children out of poverty, this government is driving even more children into the poverty trap. We are deeply concerned that the cut, then freezing, of the health element of universal credit for new claimants is not based on an assessment of need and could have a really negative impact on the families and children that would have qualified for this.

“It is disappointing that the chancellor’s spring statement had very little focus on children and young people who have been lacking vital support for too long.  We can’t dig ourselves out of this situation by making cuts, young people need investment in children’s social care and mental health support now.  

“The additional funding for the fostering system is welcome but children’s social care needs proper investment in early intervention to prevent crisis before it happens.  

“The chancellor missed the chance to announce more targeted and useful measures for children from low-income families, such as getting more children free school meals. This spring statement gave the government the golden opportunity to invest in our children, yet we can see it simply does not go far enough to address the scale of the challenges they currently face.”

Also commenting on the government’s spring statement, the National Foundation for Educational Research’s (NFER) school workforce lead, Jack Worth, said: “Teacher recruitment and retention remains in a critical state and without urgent action, achievement of the government’s pledge to recruit 6,500 teachers will be in peril. Following the Government’s spring statement, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has increased its forecast of average earnings growth for 2025/26 from 3.0 per cent to 3.7 per cent.

“In light of this, it seems unimaginable that the Department for Education’s (DfE) teacher pay proposal of 2.8 per cent for the next academic year could remain unchanged. The School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) should consider recommending an increase of least 3.7 per cent in order to continue improving the competitiveness of teacher pay, supporting recruitment and retention efforts.”

The 2025 spring statement can be read here.