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PM attacks council cuts (From Swindon Advertiser)
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PM attacks council cuts
9:50am Thursday 7th May 2009
GORDON Brown has claimed that Swindon Council is cutting public services in the town on the orders of the national leadership of the Conservative Party.
The Prime Minister claimed that Swindon was typical of a Tory-run council, in cutting back on the investment necessary for the town.
But the deputy leader of the council has hit back at the criticism by saying that cuts were only being made where absolutely necessary.
Mr Brown was responding to South Swindon MP Anne Snelgrove at Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday.
Mrs Snelgrove said: “Local people are very concerned about Swindon Council’s cuts in park and ride services and about cuts of up to four branch libraries, despite more than £400,000 of extra funding from the Government.
“Is that not a warning of Tory public service cuts instead of Labour investment?”
Mr Brown said: “You do not have to look in a crystal ball – you look at every Tory authority round the country.
“They are cutting back on public services, obeying the orders of the Conservative leadership that cuts in public services come before the investment that they need.”
The Prime Minister, in a nod to the forthcoming European elections, which are scheduled for June 4, added: “That is one of the issues that people will be talking about in the next few weeks, because it affects real lives.”
But Swindon Council’s deputy leader Fionuala Foley hit back at the claims, saying: “I am not at all surprised at these cheap political stunts.
“I am happy to have our lead member for resources sit Anne down and explain to her why we can’t use one-off funding to plug huge revenue gaps in the budget.
“We would not be closing a park and ride unless we had no other choice. We are carrying out consultation on a possible three library closures.
“I still hope they can stay open but whatever happens there will be library book provision in those areas.”
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Your Say YourSwindon
Kineasy, Swindon says...
10:20am Thu 7 May 09
Swindon Services and the Temping agencies, Police etc. all have to be paid.
So where is the money coming from? Time The Audit Commision were alerted. Creative Accounting will have to be very sharp to creat £1.25 million we have not got.
Any sign of the inward investment yet?
Big Mac, Old Town says...
10:28am Thu 7 May 09
Nobody is interested in what you and your devalued, discredited and dishonest government have to say anymore.
This latest PR attack is a lame attempt to hang on to the very few Labour run councils left in this country. Well, it ain't gonna happen. Expect more losses in June.
Call a general election... NOW.
It's the only way to possibly salvage any shred of diginity from your embarrassing, unelected and utterly failed prime ministership.
Big Mac, Old Town says...
10:41am Thu 7 May 09
Nobody is interested in what you and your devalued, discredited and dishonest government have to say anymore.
This latest PR attack is a lame attempt to hang on to the very few Labour run councils left in this country. Well, it ain't gonna happen. Expect more losses in June.
Call a general election... NOW.
It's the only way to possibly salvage any shred of diginity from your embarrassing, unelected and utterly failed prime ministership.
The Librarian says Oook, Swindon says...
11:02am Thu 7 May 09
Yah Boo Sucks. Hiss! ! ! !
Such maturity in our politics.
Lets talk about Labour “Investment” shall we.
Billions have been thrown at the Health Service and still NICE turn down essential, life-preserving drugs for tens of thousands on the grounds of cost and 9,000 people a year die of MRSA, meanwhile Health Tourism costs billions a year.
Billions have been thrown at Education, and yet many children still leave school with insufficient skills literacy and maths skills. University entry continues to grow, but the universities report that many entrants lack the basic skills to complete the course and many drop out in the first 12 months.
Our economy is in ruins, investment is down, employment is down, income is down, exports are down and the only person in Britain who thinks Gordon Brown is fit to be PM is Gordon Brown, and even he must be starting to doubt that. He has proved the truth of the old motto, “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, you have obviously failed to appreciate the seriousness of the situation.
Everhopeful, says...
11:33am Thu 7 May 09
Big Mac, Old Town says...
12:22pm Thu 7 May 09
Still, the rest of PMQs was absolutely fantastic yesterday: Brown admitting to bullying in the workplace and generally showing himself to be the broken man that he is.
It's such a shame, for him, that he'll drag this misery out for another year. It's becoming quite painful to watch.
The Librarian says Oook, Swindon says...
1:03pm Thu 7 May 09
Big Mac wrote:Agreed,
Everhopeful - Ms Snelgrove asking Mr Brown a question during PMQs is ALWAYS going to be nothing more than a 'political stunt', I'm afraid. Still, the rest of PMQs was absolutely fantastic yesterday: Brown admitting to bullying in the workplace and generally showing himself to be the broken man that he is. It's such a shame, for him, that he'll drag this misery out for another year. It's becoming quite painful to watch.
If it wasn’t for the total and utter devastation of our economy and society that he has personally caused, it would be amusing to watch this stupid, ugly, cowardly Neanderthal destroy both himself and his worthless and morally bankrupt party.
Gordon Brown is unarguable the most ignorant, incompetent and worthless individual to even achieve one of the great offices of state. If he had reached his current position by way of an election I would suggest labour demand a recount. Even a sinister dictator like Mugabe goes through pretence of an election before he proclaims himself leader, but Gormless Brown didn’t even have the courage to do that.
The Artist formally known as Grumpy Old Man, Wiltshire says...
1:34pm Thu 7 May 09
The Librarian says Oook, Swindon says...
2:11pm Thu 7 May 09
He is right. It is hard to be satirical about this government when the reality is so insane. We have had a Home Secretary who claims her main home is someone else’s spare bedroom and submits expense claims for her husband’s **** and blames the Commons Officials for letting her do it.
There is a government minister who lives in a subsidised Housing Association flat and buys another flat specifically so that she can claim allowances.
There is a government minister who claims a second house allowance for his parents’ house which is further away from the Commons than his own..
There are many MP’s who enact various fiddles to squeeze as much as possible from the poor taxpayer and we will be finding out more in the coming weeks..
The PM’s solution to this naked corruption is to simply give MP’s the money and stop asking them what it is for.
Hangbrownhigh, says...
3:11pm Thu 7 May 09
alfred, N. Swindon says...
6:07pm Thu 7 May 09
Libertarian, Swindon says...
8:05pm Thu 7 May 09
Swindon is considered to be a floor Council by this Labour government and continue to give out the lowest settlement possible (there are no Councils in the land that gets less than Swindon) and is shrinking each year.
For example they presented SBC with a £1.5 million pound bill for cover pay rises for the 8000 plus staff (vast majority are teachers and support) but gave SBC only £800K extra to cover everything. This clearly doesn’t add up at all let alone of all the other investments and extra responsibilities SBC would like and has to pay for.
Council Tax covers about 20% of SBC’s spend and the rest comes from government (paid for by our business rates). If Swindon was treated as an average unitary Council (i.e. nothing special) it would receive over £20 million extra EACH YEAR. You can imagine what they would owe the people of Swindon if all of that was paid back. If Swindon got the same level of government settlement as the people of Leicester, for example, we would be better off by nearly £60 million EACH YEAR.
However, they have been cutting away at SBC’s settlement year upon year upon year and then have the bare-faced cheek to say that Tories Councils are making cuts. I think it only right that the people of Swindon should enjoy a level playing.
This is outrageous hypocrisy and a very dishonest distortion of the facts.
However, as the government has nearly bankrupted the country I guess this is going to be their tactic to cut settlements, particularly to Conservative Councils, and send our money to Labour heartlands. They then, with no conscience what so ever, say that it’s typical Tories making cuts when they are bleeding SBC dry.
Our MP’s have done nothing to help change this situation. Well, it wouldn’t be in their interest would it.
Jiver, Swindon says...
11:05pm Thu 7 May 09
Are you a councillor?
Casual Observer, Swindon says...
7:54am Fri 8 May 09
Big Mac, Old Town says...
9:41am Fri 8 May 09
Should be an interesting day for dear old Anne Snelgrove today, the Telegraph have got hold of MPs expenses - what's the betting she'll be keeping her head down for a while!
Amazing, yet again, to see proof that our own prime minister is a corrupt crook.
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Big Mac, Old Town says...
10:13am Thu 7 May 09
In case you hadn't noticed, nobody cares what you and your devaluded, discredited and distrusted government thinks about anything.
This silly little PR game, in a vain hope to avoid losing yet more local Councils to the Tories in June, won't fool anyone.
Call a general election. NOW. You spineless, unelected and utterly failed joke of a man.