Leaked papers reveal ‘draconian cuts’ at City Hall - Opposition fears for front-line services as High-Level Group focuses on ‘value for money’

Published: 05 November 2010
by JOSH LOEB

LEAKED papers have revealed how government cuts could have a devastating impact on services across Westminster. 

The West End Extra can reveal that council chiefs are in advanced talks about a massive overhaul of public services. 

Minutes of a secret meeting in August show how City Hall would be stripped back to the bone, with only a handful of “core services” kept in-house. 

One scenario considered by the High Level Group (HLG) – a group of senior council officers and politicians who meet behind closed doors – envisages “a small core council of no more than 500” staff and with “no education service”. 

Proposals include: 

• getting volunteers to run libraries;

• halving the number of litter bins;

• selling sports centres to private companies;

• selling all public conveniences to private companies; and

• obliging residents to take responsibility for cleaning areas outside their properties. 

The minutes also record: “CB [leader of Westminster Council Colin Barrow] said that if departments don’t “play ball” then budgets would just be cut by 25 per cent or 40 per cent.” 

City Hall yesterday (Thursday) sought to play down the significance of the papers, saying the proposals were “ideas only” but that painful cuts had to be made.   

But opposition councillors seized on them as proof that the public were being “kept in the dark”. 

Leader of the Labour group Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg said: “This report shows clearly that many front-line services are in serious danger from these draconian services cuts. 

“Education, refuse collection, street sweeping and planning are all in the Conservatives’ line of fire. Everything is being done in secret by a shadowy group, the composition of which is unknown.”  

Cllr Barrow said: “Previous levels of spending are unsustainable, and like it or not we simply cannot afford to do all the things we used to. We will have to cut back on things that are helpful and desirable, but not essential, such as ‘silver surfer’ internet lessons for older people and lunch clubs. 

“But we will invest to replace the state with networks of volunteers, neighbours and friends to ensure that we look after each other. We will continue to provide the core services that keep the city clean and safe and protect the vulnerable. And we’ll have an absolute focus on value for money. But we want to release the potential of our citizens to improve their local quality of life for themselves, by developing a stronger sense of community responsibility. To do this we have to totally rethink how we operate. This is about a new relationship between the state and the citizen.”