This in from Labour councillor Geoff Lumley on the council cuts discussed at last night’s meeting. Ed
At last night’s Full Council (read our live coverage) the Labour Group succeeded in getting cross-party reconsideration of proposals to impose cuts from April to services that will badly affect many Island residents. These included:
- Concessionary Fares – the discretionary element, allowing those with a disability to travel at any time and the local islander card scheme;
- Any further reductions in the Supporting People budget;
- Re-alignment of community service provision (at a time when community policing has all but disappeared);
- Fire & Rescue Service – including the possible closure of a Fire Station.
Commitment over staffing reductions
In addition, Full Council agreed to seek assurances that unidentified ‘other staffing reductions’ will not inflict pain on vulnerable people who depend on Council services.
The Council Leader also gave a commitment to do everything he could not to impose a cut in the discretionary Council Tax support scheme, which provides relief for hard-pressed unemployed people from having to pay up to 20% of their Council Tax bill.
Labour: “Against doing the Conservative Government’s dirty work”
Labour Group Leader Cllr Geoff Lumley said,
“As Labour moves, locally and hopefully nationally, to a more anti-austerity position, we feel it is important that Councillors who were not elected to vote through more and more cuts start to make a stand.
“Cllr Hollands and I are such people and we are against doing the Conservative Government’s dirty work. I don’t believe many people really understand the further devastation that is to be caused to public services over the next 5 years.”
Interestingly the Labour amendment, which described Government austerity-driven grant cuts as ‘economically misguided’, was supported by all the Conservative councillors present except their leader, but opposed by the UKIP duo.
