Refuse to set a local budget

Published: 3 February, 2011

• THE government, with planned cuts of over £80billion to public services, are bent on destroying the welfare state as we know it. 

The cuts are unnecessary. There is an alternative method of paying off the national deficit of  £176billion. Britain is the sixth wealthiest country in the world. However 10 per cent of the population own 50 per cent of all personal wealth – some £4,000billion. A windfall tax of five per cent on the richest section would wipe out the deficit. 

Camden United Against the Cuts was launched at a rally at the town hall some three weeks ago to campaign locally against the cuts, including cuts of some £90million planned by Camden Council. 

These will cause mass redundancies and penalise the most vulnerable in our community. Our main enemy is in Downing Street. However, Camden should refuse to set a budget implementing these draconian cuts even if the result is that a civil servant is appointed to do so. As far as ordinary people are concerned it makes no difference who implements cuts if they are equally painful or nearly so. 

Mass action can defeat the cuts. It defeated the poll tax in 1990. The miners defeated the Heath government in 1974. Let us remember George Lansbury, Labour mayor of Poplar in 1921, who refused to impose a new tax on the working class of that impoverished borough. Instead, he and 30 councillors went to prison. In the 1970s, Frank Dobson, as leader of the council, and other councillors, refused to implement rent increases and were subject to proceedings by the district auditors. The council’s refusal to set a budget with massive cuts would give a tremendous boost to the anti-cuts campaign, locally and beyond.  

SABBY SAGAL, NW5