Richard Baum

Last night Bury Council was stunned by a grossly irresponsible proposal from Bury Labour to cut funding for children, vulnerable adults, and vital reserves, to achieve the headline-grabbing and cheap stunt of a nil-increase Council Tax.

Their tactics must be seen in their true light – dangerous and short-sighted populism designed to do nothing more than win votes.

Labour will claim that their budget is sustainable. They will claim that it is the sensible answer to our problems. But it isn’t. It is a cheap political stunt designed to lure people’s trust. It is, in typical New Labour style, utter spin with no substance at all.

It is a lie to say that we can save services without raising Council Tax. We just can’t. And the reason is that the Labour government settlement for Bury is woefully inadequate. In Bolton and Oldham (coincidentally, two Labour-run Councils), government settlement per-head is so high that they can legitimately afford a 0% rise. Here in Bury, the settlement is so low that taxes go up and services come down each and ever year.

Last night it took Lib Dem action to secure funding for children and environmental services. The Labour government and the Conservative Group were happy to see them fall by the way side. We were not.

Labour’s response was to rob the people of Bury of their reserves. It was to rob vulnerable children of the funding for their youth and social workers. It was to rob disabled adults of the funding they need. And it was to cynically “earmark” money for electorally competitive areas which simply can’t be spent, just to lie about it in leaflets.

It was a disgrace, and I am glad it was defeated.

Of course I’d like a 0% rise in Council Tax. Then I’d like to see it cut, and then the Lib Dems are the only party who’d like to see it abolished because it is unfair and utterly regressive. Labour and the Tories support this tax.

But we can’t have a 0% rise, because there’s not enough money to fund the vital services if we do. It isn’t about efficiency, it’s about an awful government settlement from a Labour party who’ve let down Bury again.

Lib Dems were sensible last night, targeting money where people need it and people want it the most. Labour spun a web of deceit designed to win votes and headlines. They may well have done that, but they will lose respect along the way.

The Lib Dems are the only credible opposition to the Tory Council. Our amendment was the only one adopted, and voting Lib Dem is the only way to influence the ruling group. Labour’s plans are preposterous and were treated with bemusement and shock, rather than seriousness.

The last desperate attempts at credibility from this fading political force have fallen woefully short.

Rick