Lib Dems Offer an Alternative Budget for Oxfordshire (Oxfordshire Liberal Democrats)

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

Lib Dems Offer an Alternative Budget for Oxfordshire

February 14, 2011 3:49 PM
By Cllr Zoe Patrick

Oxfordshire Liberal Democrats have revealed their alternative county council budget amendments focussing on four key areas.

They have promised their spending plans would give the people of Oxfordshire "the basic services they have a right to expect: decent roads; quality care for the vulnerable; resources for young people; and extra for libraries".

"We are keen to lessen the impact of cuts on these four key areas that people say matter most to them," said Cllr Zoe Patrick, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Opposition. "We offer a real alternative to the Conservative administration's plans."

The budget amendment includes £500,000 more than the Conservative budget for children and young people, including more for outreach youth workers and support for young carers.

It also provides £400,000 more for services to adults including £250,000 for elderly people and £200,000 for carers. There is also money for grants for voluntary organisations to provide benefits and debt advice.

"Since publishing our first budget proposals, we are pleased to note that the Cabinet agreed with us not to cut the libraries in the first year and matched our funding. In fact we go even further now by increasing this amount by an additional £100,000," said Zoe.

Finally, the Liberal Democrat budget amendment finds an additional £162,000 for maintenance of roads and pavements, including filling potholes.

"We think the Conservatives have failed to find ways to save money elsewhere and to lessen the impact of the cuts on people in Oxfordshire who rely on our services," added Cllr Alan Armitage, Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet member for Finance. "We've found in previous years that Lib Dem ideas find their way into the administration's budget proposals a year or two later. We look forward to seeing this tradition continue."