David Cameron’s cynical announcement of a £300m slush fund to ease councils worst hit by his government’s cuts is a desperate hasten and has the stench of gerrymandering on the scale of Shirley Porter’s “homes for votes” antics (Cameron ‘buying off’ Tory MPs threatening to rebel over council cuts,10 February). Since 2011, Liverpool has lost 58% of its annual budget or £340m, or the latest financial settlement sees Liverpool’s budget reduced by a further 9% or £27m in 2016-17. The government’s own figures reveal this will have reduced by £70m by 2019-20. The reality is that these figures are looked upon with casual regard,such is the regularity of councils in the north of England being hit with drastic cuts to their budgets.
I, together with the core cities group of councils, and have lost no opportunity in lobbying the government,and the coalition of the past, pointing out its scandalous, and inequitable method of imposing budget cuts upon councils which face the harshest levels of deprivation – which it is no coincidence are labour-controlled – in comparison to the generous settlements afforded to the Conservative-led shire counties.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com