Leader of the Green Group on the County Council, David Williams, will be proposing at the next County Council meeting that County Council group leaders of the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties campaign to get their parties to withdraw plans for further cuts in local government spending.
He observes: “Our County Council is in a downward spiral of pointless, avoidable cuts that have included the withdrawal of services from some of the most vulnerable people in our county. Its recent budget added another £20 million in cuts to the £64 million already removed."
(These vulnerable people are those receiving social care support, including the vulnerable young and old, those with mental health problems and those in need of social worker support, as examples.)
Our motion to the County Council group leaders reads: “Knowing the impact that the reductions in revenue support grant have had over the last 35 years on vital services and the likely impact that even stronger cuts will have on the most vulnerable in our community in future years, Oxfordshire County Council calls on the party leaders of the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrats to abandon their plans to impose even further cuts on local government and to recognise that local government plays a vital role in our community and should no longer bear the burden of an economic policy known as ‘austerity’ that is of dubious merit and limited effectiveness. The Chief Executive to write to all three party leaders with a copy of this motion.”
Ann Duncan, Green Party candidate for Oxford East said: "The Coalition has reduced local government to levels of spending that are so low that homelessness is growing, support to the vulnerable young and old is declining and many of our roads are in a poor state. We have to diversify sources of taxation in this country to ensure that tax revenues deliver a decent society by putting an end to austerity."
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