Liberal Democrats publish alternative budget and call for Council to “protect the vulnerable and frontline services”

The Liberal Democrats have today published their alternative budget, restoring millions of pounds to frontline services, the vulnerable and the voluntary sector which is being slashed by the Conservative administration at County Hall.

Headlines include investing significant sums to the voluntary sector and the vulnerable  for preventative  services, reinstating funds for frontline services such as  buses, mobile libraries, street lights, lollipop men and ladies, trading standards and ensuring that money to make our roads safer and prevent fires is not cut.

This will be paid for by cancelling the investment quango proposed by the Conservatives, which will duplicate much of the work of the new South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership, deleting some Cabinet and Assistant Cabinet posts and driving out efficiency savings in the back office.

Cllr Brendan Glynane, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Opposition at Northamptonshire County Council said “This budget shows that there is another way forward that does not rely on the kind of massive cuts to frontline services and the vulnerable that the Tories are proposing. The Conservatives have quite simply panicked and slashed whatever they could find, rather than looking carefully at the huge sums that are spent on back office functions. It is the vulnerable that will pay for their incompetence.”

“The Conservatives have already backed down on two key proposals – closing 8 libraries and slashing debt advice – which we opposed from the start. Local residents and Lib Dem Councillors fought hard to secure that money. Now we have to fight hard to make sure that the severe cuts to the vulnerable that the Conservatives are still proposing are overturned.”

“The Conservatives are spending two millions pounds on a pointless quango that will duplicate the work of the new South East Midlands Economic Partnership. As for the money going on Chester Farm, an old Roman town, that has been buried for 2000 years – a couple more years won’t make any difference. There are still significant sums being spent on back office functions. We should make savings in these areas before we cut frontline services.”

Cllr Chris Stanbra, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader and Finance Spokesman said “We know that Northamptonshire Conservatives have a shocking record of financial incompetence. From the botched schools site sales, to the £32m Carillion contract, to the £24 million wasted on consultants in the last year, there is no doubt that the Conservatives at County Hall were incredibly badly prepared for this budget. You only have to look at the massive £20m black hole in the Tory proposed cuts, which was only filled up a couple of weeks ago to realise they were caught on the hop. Not only that, the Conservatives still have a £20m black hole for next year as well.”

“We have gone through the County Council’s spending line by line and found significant efficiency savings, which means we are able to restore vital frontline services threatened by Tory cuts. Whether it is buses, lollipop men and ladies, funds to the voluntary sector, or services that the vulnerable, young and old, rely on, they do not have to be cut. I sincerely hope that the Conservative administration listens to the Liberal Democrats and supports our alternative. The choice is clear – frontline services and the vulnerable protected by finding efficiency savings with the Liberal Democrats or panic-stricken cuts by the incompetent Conservatives.”

The Liberal Democrat Official Opposition Alternative Revenue Budget 2011- 2012

A Summary

The Liberal Democrat Alternative budget seeks to demonstrate fairness, to achieve further efficiency and to protect vulnerable members of our community. This in turn means value for money for the hard pressed council tax payers of Northamptonshire. Our budget provides more efficient services, delivered at a better standard, demonstrating fairness and efficiency and protecting the most vulnerable members of our community.

It is comprised of three themes:

• Restoring Front Line Services
• Driving Out Bureaucracy and Back Office Costs
• Making Efficiency Savings

Highlights

Restoring Front Line Services

• Mobile libraries – reinstating the 2 mobile libraries that are threatened
• Voluntary sector & preventative services – reinstating over £4m for preventative services previously funded by the Supporting People programme and reversing other third sector cuts
• Lollipop men and ladies – reinstating this valued service
• Casualty Reduction – reinstating funds for working with the police and other agencies to ensure serious injuries and deaths on the roads are prevented
• Buses– reinstating £1.4m for bus subsidies to ensure that communities are served by decent public transport
• Gate to Gate Community Bus services – establishing a fund of £1/4m to help finance Gate to Gate Community Bus services
• Wildlife Trust – reinstating funding for the Wildlife Trust
• Fire prevention – reinstating funds aimed at preventing fires through education and  building inspection
• Trading Standards – reversing cuts to Trading Standards
• Street Lighting – reversing the further cut to the Street Lighting budget of £1m
• Area Based Coordinators – reversing the cut to this excellent Big Society function
• Youth Offending Service – cuts reversed
• Transport Charges and Adult Social Care Charges – proposed further increases in charges reversed
• Verge Maintenance and Sign Cleaning – cuts reversed
• Home to School Transport – cuts reversed
• Early Intervention Grant  – funding reduction reversed
• Music School – reversing the cut so that it can be used to fund transport to for pupils from deprived areas

Driving Out Bureaucracy and Back Office Costs and Making Efficiency Savings

• Scale back Prosperity Agenda proposals, join SEMLEP and establish Promote Northamptonshire thus achieving the same aims as the administration’s proposal at a fraction of the cost – Saving £1.65m
• Delete two Cabinet posts and abolish Assistant Cabinet members – Saving £65,000
• Scrap work on Chester Farm (buried Roman town) until affordable – Saving £250,000
• Scrap the Aldermen scheme
• Driving out bureaucracy and making savings in back office costs – Saving over £9m.