Tory controlled Northamptonshire County Council has been making national headline news involving their calamitous mismanagement of finances resulting in the County being declared “bust & bankrupt”.
The imposition of Tory Austerity measures originally adopted by the 2010 Conservative & Liberal Democrat Coalition Government & continued by the current Tory Government has directly resulted in the financial turmoil now being played out. Year after year local Tory Councillors have been willing advocates in supporting the ideology of funding caps placed on local Government spending being imposed by national Government.
Austerity has cut deep in Northamptonshire & impacted on virtually every Community, with many of the most vulnerable people being targeted.
The impact has seen cuts to children’s centres, children’s services, increased care fees for disabled people, cuts to social care providers, the ending of all bus subsidies across the county, a further round of cuts amounting to a total of £800,000 to Trading Standards, cuts to Highways Maintenance of £1.6 million, the closing of many library services & the extremely mean-spirited cut of £123,000 to foster parents, supporting children in need.
The current situation is very fluid with the council currently facing a government inspection into allegations of financial mismanagement. The Tory Council Leader has recently resigned & a budget has now been passed that is set to deliver £40 million pounds of further cuts with the council remaining on a deeply unstable financial footing. More cuts are widely expected throughout the next year.
The Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Northampton South – Gareth Eales last Sunday appeared on the BBC Regional Sunday Politics Show to take part in a studio debate on the continuing financial crisis affecting the County. Gareth delivered a clear message of Labour opposing austerity & condemning equally those Tory Councillors & MP’s across the County that have been complicit in supporting the decimating of public services, freezing public sector workers wages & targeting the cuts towards the poorer elements within society at a time when tax cuts are being given to millionaires & tax avoidance by Big Corporations is rife within the UK.
Paul Bosworth – Branch Political Officer NN
South Midlands Postal Branch
Posted: 16th April 2018