Media Release from City of York Council Labour Group
He said:
"This is another Lib Dem policy that has gone out of the window when the party scented power. Given that one of the justifications for coalition government was it being in the national interest, it is ironic that they take this decision against it. Today's announcement marks a shift in position from a party that said cuts should be held off for a year to secure the economic recovery.
"What the coalition is doing is not dissimilar to what has been going on in York over recent years with the Tories and Lib Dems. But the same outcome has been reached with the Lib Dems being dictated to by the Tories, even though locally it is the larger of the two parties.
"In 2009 the Lib Dems implemented a Tory budget with unspecified cuts that have been crippling the council ever since. This, coupled with waste spending, has forced the Council to make £7m worth of cuts this year which will include job losses. The cuts imposed by the national coalition will now exacerbate this situation and prove even more devastating for York.
"Coalition cuts announced yesterday will see £1.16bn of grants to local government cut which are likely to lead to even more redundancies in York. These are cuts which would not have been so severe had the Lib Dems stuck to their belief of cutting public expenditure once the recovery is secure; leading to a subsequent increase in government revenue. What has been announced today runs the risk of a creating a double-dip recession and even more cuts and job losses. To that extent, they are playing entirely to the Tories' tune.
"We need to know quickly exactly what the impact of the cuts announced will be on jobs and future savings targets for the council. Millions have had to be saved this year and even more savings are proposed for future years. With so much uncertainty in the council, officers need to know what constraints they are working within without the goal posts being constantly moved".
