The Labour Group Leader, Councillor Jim Grant, has responded to the Chancellor’s Budget Statement. He said:
“This budget has done absolutely nothing for Swindon. We were not mentioned once. Whilst better support for small businesses is welcome – it is about time George Osborne stopped focusing on his friends in huge corporations and looked at the many small businesses in places like Swindon- but there is so much more that we need."
The Labour Group Leader, Councillor Jim Grant, has responded to the Chancellor’s Budget Statement. He said:
“This budget has done absolutely nothing for Swindon. We were not mentioned once. Whilst better support for small businesses is welcome – it is about time George Osborne stopped focusing on his friends in huge corporations and looked at the many small businesses in places like Swindon- but there is so much more that we need.
Because of the government’s financial plan, Swindon Council has closed every single Children’s Centre in Swindon and it has moved a step closer to our local libraries closing. And now the Conservative administration on Swindon Council is looking to introduce parish councils to raise people’s council-taxes through the backdoor. Yet George Osborne has given us no funding to protect these vital services. Labour in Swindon is campaigning to keep our Children’s Centres open, to save our libraries and to fight against the crippling local government cuts to which we are constantly subjected to.
On the government’s plan to impose academy status on all schools regardless of whether they want this or not, I think this is purely ideological decision devoid of any evidence this will improve schools. It isn’t a proper plan on how to improve failing schools and will force Head Teachers to focus on making the school an academy rather than driving pupil progress.”