Wirral Conservative have put forward a very different and
positive agenda for the borough.
Top of the Tories priorities is reversing one of Labours savage
cuts to social services.
Conservative Leader Cllr Jeff Green said: “I was outraged that
some of the most vulnerable in Wirral in need of our care and
support, were to face the full cost of over £300 per week for
respite care as opposed to the current rate of £64.65. In
submitting an alternative budget I knew we had to reverse this
terrible Labour decision. This we have done.”
The Conservatives proposals have been given the green light by
the Borough’s accountants. The Conservative Council tax is
slightly lower and no initiative proposed by Labour has been
axed.
“We have saved significant sums of money by addressing the
Council’s overspending of its overtime budget and asking whether
the Council still needs all of the jobs that have remained
vacant for over nine months,” added Cllr Green.
Labour also proposes a cut of £200,000 from the Youth Service
and when asked the Children’s Services Director admitted this
would lead to a reduction in service particularly to local youth
clubs.
Cllr Green said, “at a time when even UNICEF have put our youth
at the bottom of the western worlds league table for well being
how can the Labour Party propose cutting services to children
and young people. We need our youth clubs and more activities
for the Borough’s children and young people not less, our plans
will protect these clubs and activities by reversing Labour’s
cuts”
Other initiatives being proposed by the Tories include reversing
Labour’s cut to the Council’s Library book fund and purchasing
11 mobile speed indicators to compliment the Conservatives
Twenty’s Plenty Campaign against speeding motorists. If their
amendment is passed it will also see the restarting of the
Councils public toilet re-opening campaign.
If you glance at Labour’s budget you would think they are
putting an additional 4.7 million into social services but once
you remove the cuts they have made the Director of Adult Social
Services has confirmed that they are only putting in £45,000 of
new money. “Like their masters in London they are trying to
manipulate and spin figures giving with one hand and hoping the
elderly and infirm residents of Wirral do not spot that they are
taking away with the other ” concluded Cllr Green.
Notes
1) The Tory Council Tax if passed will 4% compared to Labour’s
4.12%
2) The Tories are proposing to delete jobs that have been vacant
for nine months or more. But in case some of those are still
needed they propose to only delete a quarter of them. This comes
to £205,000. Merseyside Police have already done something
similar.
3) The Conservatives will introduce overtime control for the
first time.
4) This is a full list of policy options being proposed by
Wirral Tories.
|
Reinstate the cut to the ‘cost of democracy’ by
reversing Labour’s plans to restrict Area Forums. |
Corporate Services |
50,000 |
|
Increase winter gritting budget to meet public
expectations and improve road safety |
Technical Services |
100,000 |
|
Improve recycling and waste collection by ensuring
contract inflation provision |
Technical Services |
266,000 |
|
Reverse charges increase for users of domiciliary care
services |
Adult Social Services |
300,000 |
|
Reverse charges increase for users of respite care |
Adult Social Services |
60,000 |
|
Reverse service user transport charges |
Adult Social Services |
200,000 |
|
Reverse cut in youth service budget |
Children’s Services |
200,000 |
|
Reverse cut in Local Agenda 21 |
Corporate Services |
40,000 |
|
Reverse cut in Library book fund |
Regeneration |
100,000 |
|
Support the introduction of a social enterprise
initiative at the Warrens Nursery site |
Adult Social Services |
60,000 |
|
Mobile Digital Speed Indicator Display – One per Area
Forum to complement a 20’s plenty campaign |
Technical Services |
33,000 |
|
Reverse cut in provision for Alley gates |
Regeneration |
25,000 |
|
Reverse cut in tourism information service |
Corporate Services |
58,000 |
|
Reverse cut to grants to voluntary organisations and add
funding to provide specific help to small and medium
sized voluntary organisations working with children and
young people (building on the success of such
organisations as ‘bean bag’. |
Corporate Services |
100,000 |
|
Supplement dog warden service with additional officer |
Regeneration |
25,000 |
|
Introduction of a broad strategy for pigeon control –
Officers have identified Liscard as the first priority
for this activity. |
Regeneration |
25,000 |
|
Continue the programme of re-opening public toilets
closed by the Labour and Liberal groups with funding for
the next two officer priorities - Heswall and Vale Park
£60,000 capital costs to be funded from the Council’s £
1.4 million PPM budget
|
Regeneration |
25,000 |
|
