“I am unable to watch passively while certain policies are enacted in order to meet the fiscal self-imposed restraints that I believe are more and more perceived as distinctly political rather than in the national economic interest.”
So the reality of Tory cuts over the past 6 years is out. This is a quote from the resignation letter of Ian Duncan Smith describing the latest batch of cuts as “…distinctly political”. If he had spent a day in Knowsley in recent years the reality that the cuts weren’t working might have saved him the trouble of resigning.
In my blog this week I wanted to draw attention to the palpable unfairness of Tory cuts at a local authority level. Mr.Smith has somewhat stolen my thunder, however, and we have the odd situation of half the Tory Party transposing themselves into the opposition!
My anger this week was centred on a decision made about library closures in Berkshire. A story hidden away as usual in he mainstream media. Berkshire, a Tory-run council, intended to help balance its 2016/17 budget by closing a number of its libraries. Last Wednesday, however, the council was awarded ‘transitional funding’ of £1.4 million from central government with instruction that a proportion of this money is to be used to secure libraries over the next two years. I am delighted for the residents of Berkshire and in particular its vulnerable residents who probably rely on library services as both a social outlet and a source for reading and digital inclusion.
The obvious question this raises is why a library in Berkshire is deemed more important to residents in that county compared to Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Sheffield….. or Knowsley? If it wasn’t clear already or deemed politically biased on my part, we have the answer to that question as a result of this week’s resignation: Tory cuts are not being made in the national interest. They are made for political advantage and worse, the most vulnerable in our society are paying the price for a Tory Party in cahoots with its financial backers and others who bankrolled their election in 2015. What this means in real terms is that a cut to Disability Benefits funds a reduction in Corporation Tax and tax thresholds that disproportionately favour the better off in our society over the hard working or most vulnerable.
We are about to enter the election period in many parts of the country. On top of council elections we will also have the elections for the Scottish Parliament, Mayors of Liverpool and London and, of course, on June 23rd the vote to remain or leave the European Union. A vote for Labour has never been more important in terms of holding this government to account. The events of this week have shown that it isn’t too late to get a change in direction if we keep holding this government to account. What’s good for library users in Berkshire or Children’s Centre parents in Oxfordshire is also good for residents in Knowsley. We will be taking every opportunity possible to make this known to government.
Please remember that this year’s vote in Knowsley is an all-out election on new boundaries. We have reduced the number of council wards from 21 to 15 meaning we will elect 45 councillors on May 7th. You get 3 votes in Knowsley for the choice of up to three candidates in this slightly unusual election. We ask you to give all of your votes to the candidates representing the Labour Party in your local ward.
To read more about the Berkshire Council cuts click here
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