It’s tough for Labour

Published: 11 June, 2010

• I WAS concerned to hear about the cuts Labour are already threatening to make to projects like new school buildings and the council’s environment budget. 

They have already said they want to paper over the cracks at the crumbling Sobell centre rather than rebuilding it and that the plans for Finsbury Leisure Centre are under threat as well.

Councils across the country are facing hard times as the coalition reduces spending in order to clear the mammoth deficit left by the previous government. We all will need to tighten our belts.

The Labour administration here in Islington will be faced with some tough choices but I hope they don’t make it worse for all of us by deciding to spend the council’s limited resources on their pet projects. 

Free school meals for all, including those able and willing to pay, pot-hole repairs only “in working class areas” and opening a citizen’s advice bureau to duplicate the excellent work already done by Citizens Advice Islington and other agencies are all projects that will cost taxpayers millions and turn the council’s excellent financial position they inherited from the Lib Dems into a mess. 

Rather than wasting money on unnecessary quangos like Labour’s new “fairness commission”, 

Labour should be putting money into existing essential services and projects which will deliver value for money. 

There is a real danger that they will mismanage the council’s finances as they did the last time they were in control when they left the council with mountainous debt and abysmally poor services for our citizens.

CLLR JOHN GILBERT  
Liberal Democrat shadow executive member for finance