Liberal Democrats have raised serious concerns about the Council’s budget this year,2011 to 2012.
Leader of the LibDems in the borough, Simon Werner said, “We have yet another budget from the conservatives that attacks the very nature of our caring community. It includes yet more increases in charges, sometimes on the most vulnerable in society, it includes worse services and it includes more destruction of our infrastructure-like our roads.
We have seen how the income the council gets from charging residents for service has gone up by 18 million-the most recent increase is the 1000% increase in the cost for elderly people to use our Day Centres. The charge has gone from £6.30 to a massive £58 now excluding transport.
We have seen young people left on the scrap heap because the council has cut funding to help them into training schemes, education and jobs. We have seen people with learning difficulties threatened with the closure of Bridge that Gap cafe where they work.
We have seen the massive increase in pot holes-in our surveys the state of the roads always comes out as the number one problem. ”
Simon Werner added, “People that use council services have been horrified by the slow destruction by the Tories of our caring community. The elderly, the young and people with learning dificulties have all seen services cut. We need to keep the caring community. “