On Thursday 28th the council budget was set. The Labour Party put forward a number of amendments in order to protect community services, promote growth and provide the services residents have told us they need.
I make no apology for introducing the Minister Mr Pickles to the debate I just wish instead a Conservative member who had brought him up. The massive cuts which have been transferred from Banks and others to the local council have led to many Conservative Councillors privately condemning the Minister. They tell the public it was all to do with a previous Labour Government whilst privately blaming their own dictating Tory Minister for the under funding.
On Thursday 28th the council budget was set. The Labour Party put forward a number of amendments in order to protect community services, promote growth and provide the services residents have told us they need.
I make no apology for introducing the Minister Mr Pickles to the debate I just wish instead a Conservative member who had brought him up. The massive cuts which have been transferred from Banks and others to the local council have led to many Conservative Councillors privately condemning the Minister. They tell the public it was all to do with a previous Labour Government whilst privately blaming their own dictating Tory Minister for the under funding.
The reality is whilst under a Labour Government the sun was shining for local government funding the Conservative led council regularly complained about under funding? Whilst complaining they must have had some confidence in the funding continuing because they run up a debt of nearly £100 million.
Perhaps it might be better to look at local Conservative decisions because it is all about efficiency (cuts) innovation (wifi) and commissioning now (privatisation through the back door). We have an excess of 1,300 car parking spaces so whilst we are told to look to innovation for growth the Conservative Council tell us we need a Car Parking strategy and a new £15 million pound car park? A similar sum to the savings we needed to make to this years budget. This car park may never pay and will cost £300,000 a year to run?
I am used to exaggeration from the Conservatives, exampled by Robert Buckland on TV stating the previous Labour Council put up the council tax in one year by 20%? Apart from never putting up council tax by 20% in one year he neglected to say how close the Conservatives own tax proposals were to the Labours tax proposals. It is the silence of the Conservatives which I was trying to expose in Council regarding Mr Pickles. Fortunately we did have two Conservatives with the courage to break the silence and acknowledge the role of Mr Pickles. This in part exposes the hypocrisy of blaming a previous Government; it is the decisions which the Conservative Council is making now which is running up the unnecessary debt.
The Conservative administrations failure to address Mr Pickles dismantling of Local government needs a response. I have also just seen and heard Rod Bluh on TV speaking up for local government whilst dancing to Mr Pickles tune. Keeping silent will not reward Swindon’s residents in the future; we are building a huge budget gap due to under funding. Labour has to expose the local decisions that do not make sense (Whale Bridge junction and Car Park), especially when they are costing more than the budget savings we had to find this year.
Silence and exaggeration are not the answers, investment in what we need is. That was what the Labour Groups budget proposals were about, we are listening, we are thinking about and working you.