Why are our children forced to bear brunt of belt-tightening?

Published: 18 June, 2010

• WE all knew that a period of belt-tightening was on its way, but why are children in Westminster bearing the brunt of the new Conservative-Liberal Democrat government’s £1.9million cut from Westminster City Council’s budget?

Before the election the Conservatives assured us that these initial £6billion cuts in public spending would be about “reducing waste”. 

But now we find out that they have targeted children for the deepest and most savage cuts.

The cuts announced recently by the government will cut £1.5million from the education budget and affect schools and children’s services right across Westminster.

Yet while these cuts in front-line services are taking place, Westminster Conservatives keep spending over £3million a year on the biggest “spin” operation in London and are wasting huge amounts of public money on council propaganda that nobody needs and nobody wants.

Just last week, the council hired yet another highly-paid press officer (direct from the Evening Standard – and they don’t come cheap). 

Yet front-line staff vacancies in the planning department are not being filled and no cover has been arranged for a number of planning department staff on maternity leave. The result is that residents with planning applications are having to wait longer and are getting a much poorer service.

And now the Conservatives propose to charge householders £100 to arrange a meeting with a planning officer to discuss a residential planning application!

Do you want more highly-paid press officers telling you how wonderful the council is? Do you think that a director of communications on £124,000 a year is value for money?

Or would the money be better spent on keeping the 66 City Guardians who patrol the streets and work alongside the police but who now face the sack because the Conservatives falsely claim there is no money to pay them?

Thankfully, the £23,000 civic dinner has now been scrapped thanks to our campaign backed by many residents. 

But what other expensive non-essential spending should go in order to keep front-line services working hard for local residents?

Let me know and I assure you that Labour councillors will fight for residents’ priorities. Email me at: pdimoldenberg@westminster.gov.uk.

CLLR PAUL DIMOLDENBERG
Leader of the Labour Group