Lib Dem councils warn of spending cuts pain
Updated on 06 July 2010
Liberal Democrats running local councils across England believe spending cuts agreed by their party in government will put crucial public services at risk, a Channel 4 News survey reveals.
A Channel 4 News survey of Lib Dem town hall bosses found widespread unease about the scale of cuts expected to hit local authority budgets.
Many said they were preparing drastic reductions in spending on adult social care and a move to fortnightly bin collections to save money.
Councils in England receive £82bn annually from central government, and they levy £26bn a year in council tax.
But the Department of Communities and Local Government is braced for cuts to its budget of up to 33 per cent over the next four years, and council tax is being frozen, leaving local authorities with a funding nightmare.
John Shipley, the leader of Newcastle City Council, who is about to become a Lib Dem peer, told Channel 4 News: "Such cuts are going to be undeliverable. If it was 33 per cent it simply means a number of services would have to be reduced. We would be forced to move to fortnightly bin collections, fewer people would receive adult social care, and opening hours to buildings could be reduced."
More on the coalition cuts from Channel 4 News:
- School building plan scrapped to save £1bn
- Public sector cuts: axe begins to swing
- 600,000 public sector jobs could go
- Spending cuts: where the axe will fall
Other council leaders agreed that adult social care - support for the elderly and disabled - was particularly vulnerable.
Brian Hoare, leader of Northampton Borough Council, said: "It's not as if you're saying there won't be as many clients. We have got an ageing population. There are not going to be easy solutions."
Meanwhile the leader of Burnley Borough Council, Charlie Briggs, said he was prepared to walk all the way to Whitehall to make a direct appeal for help from central government.
"I am shocked at the scale of the spending cuts. I only wish the prime minister and the deputy prime minister will come up here and have a look at Burnley and realise that this area in Lancashire is deprived and we need help. Help us," he said.
'I just need the care'
Machaela Kennedy suffers from multiple sclerosis, which is at such an advanced stage her mother spoke for her. But Machaela summoned up the strength to give a simple message to the government. "I just need the care," she said.
Council bosses insist that people like Machaela will be their top priority, but those with less severe disabilities will face cuts.
"It's an absolute disgrace, her mother Irene said. "They haven't looked into the care services or what they provide. The people who are disabled, they're just a number on a sheet of paper basically.
"They're just moving money around the board really, aren't they.
"I worry about not being able to give Machaela the care she needs, as thousands of other people must be terrified."
Machaela's sister Deborah added: "It's much easier for the government to save money by putting people like Machaela in a home, because it is cheaper."
The unrest among local Liberal Democrats could pose a problem for the coalition government as the departmental spending review gets underway.
Many council chiefs believed the Conservatives' decision to ring-fence the NHS budget was a mistake, as it increased the pressure for cuts in other areas of government.
Stephen Jordan, leader of Cheltenham Borough Council, said: "My view is logically any budget is worth looking at."
Other council leaders spoke of their fears that events laid on for tourists would have to be axed and theatres closed to make ends meet.
The Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles urged councils to start looking for savings now. He said: "Shining a light on spending will help to put savings before cuts. Councils have delivered significant efficiencies but there is still more that can be done to enhance better value for money for hard-pressed local taxpayers and to protect the front line services that so many rely on."
