Damaging and unnecessary cuts

Published: 06 August 2010

• EVERY week that goes by sees more cuts to front-line Westminster City Council services which are both damaging and unnecessary.

This week the Conservatives announced that they are scrapping all free play schemes on Saturdays and halving the number of subsidised play centres open over Christmas and during February half-term.

In addition, means-testing will be introduced for after-school play groups and new charges will be introduced for holiday play schemes.

Over the next three years, £350,000 will be cut from the children’s play budget to compensate for the £20million parking bungle made by the Conservatives and for the £17million invested in now-failed Icelandic banks. Why do Westminster’s children have to pay for the incompetence of Conservative councillors?

But even after the Conservatives have made a complete hash of the council’s finances over the past few years, there is still over £20million in the council’s reserves, some of which could be used to maintain essential front-line services at these difficult times.

The truth of the matter is that the Conservatives have long been looking for an excuse to cut council services to the most needy and most vulnerable and they are now making the cuts with relish and speed.

Don’t believe a word about “compassionate Conservatism”. 

It is not worth the paper it is written on.

CLLR PAUL DIMOLDENBERG
Leader of the Labour Group