Tory budget - "No Cuts?" (Oxfordshire Liberal Democrats)

Oxfordshire Liberal Democrats <info@oxfordshirelibdems.org.uk>

Tory budget - "No Cuts?"

January 24, 2006 8:52 AM

Letter to Oxford Times from Cllr Alan Armitage, Lib Dem finance spokesperson

Dear Sir - your front page report on the Tories' county council budget in last week's Oxford Times was no doubt intended to be ironic - explaining the inverted commas around "no cuts"?

You quoted the Tories' own cabinet member for social and community care predicting a bleak future for the county's vulnerable and elderly, and that there would be widespread cuts to projects. Is he really a member of the cabinet which is proposing this "no cuts" budget?

But I fear your correspondent swallowed rather too much of the rest of the administration's spin on their budget. In particular, you list "provision for" several budget items, apparently not realising that these are just planned cuts which have been cancelled (perhaps under pressure from Tory backbenchers?). There is in fact no additional money proposed for the county music service, the library service, the youth service or the Cogges Museum.

To take the example of the youth service, the Tories say they have reinstated the cuts they proposed in earlier drafts of the budgets, but they simply haven't. We are a good £100,000 short of the figure that the service needs just to maintain current service levels. Talk of "efficiency savings" in the context of the youth service is transparent hogwash. It means fewer staff, however you gild the lily.

The Conservatives' shadow chancellor, George Osborne, said this week that a future Tory government would sacrifice tax cuts for economic stability. If only Tories in Oxfordshire thought the same way! Instead, they maintain that their manifesto committed them to cutting increases in council tax, and they are prepared to force us all to pay the price - with substantial cuts in services for older people and waste management, to name just the most painful. What about some stability in provision of these services, instead of a mindless pursuit of council tax cuts?

Meanwhile, if you drive a car and want to come and park it in central Oxford, our generous Conservative County Council will welcome you and waive all charges. How magnanimous, how sensitive, how far-sighted!