The Lib Dem Budget - Community Safety (Oxfordshire Liberal Democrats)

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

The Lib Dem Budget - Community Safety

February 12, 2008 12:00 AM
By Cllr Lesley Legge in County Council

Cllr Lesley Legge The Cabinet member for Community Safety mentioned "a good community safety budget". We are all in agreement that the community safety budget pressures should be supported. The wider community safety issues need to be supported as well, and the Lib Dems take these very seriously. Ensuring equality and welcoming diversity are part of ensuring a safer community; we must be inclusive and reflect proportionally the ethnic diversity of our population. We need to support this throughout our workforce, and particularly ensure that fire officers reflect this fully.

The other issue we must take seriously is extreme violence. An example of this nationally is reflected in the training undertaken by fire officers at their training college, which those who visited yesterday saw for themselves. Oxford City is working hard with partners such as the police on this issue. The County Council needs to engage more with this as well.

These needs must be taken forward; the means are all there but need that commitment from us all.

One difference in the Liberal Democrat budget is that it does positively support the retention of the fire services emergency cover, which is a vital support post for the work the fire service does. We agreed that it was very necessary to support this post to strengthen our excellent fire service. I echo the congratulations and thanks that the Cabinet member paid to our fire service and we need to support them fully.

I commend the Lib Dem budget to you as supportive of the community of Oxfordshire, particularly the vulnerable, old and young, and as improving the environment and its safety.