LIVERPOOL Town Hall, predictably, was transformed into a Fort Knox last night as councillors met to set the council tax for the coming year.
The security cordon thrown around the historic building was to be expected, given the depth of feeling.
Was it a futile exercise for the ranks of protesters on Dale Street, drawn from men, women and children of Liverpool, both young and old? Of course not.
Liverpool City CouncilThe citizens of Liverpool deserve and need the chance to vent their anger. In the world some countries are starved of food, in Liverpool the city is starved of cash.
Expecting David Cameron or George Osborne to see the light and send a money-parcel to embattled Mayor Anderson would be harder than believing in miracles.
And so it was the budget for 2014/15 was duly set, with bills rising a fraction under 2 percent (this avoided the need for a legal referendum).
There were those who believe today’s politicians should follow the example of the Militant-led council of the 1980s by refusing to set a budget. It was never going to happen. Eric Pickles, the Communities and Local Government Secretary would have sent in his “men” to run Liverpool.
The problem for Mayor Anderson is this: by producing a three-year spending plan to “force” the council to live within its means, is tantamount to telling those who live at 10 and 11 Downing Street SW that they were right all along.
Now we will all sit back and watch as the cuts bite hard: libraries, facilities for the old, the disabled and the young. Swimming pools will run dry – Park Road, Dingle and Everton will have their plugs pulled altogether. Mayor Joe is finding his cupboard bare – and has to find savings over three years of over £150m.
Everton Park Lifestyles
Centre To GoShould Cameron hang on to the keys of Number 10 in May, 2015, the smart money is on the vice tightening even more. Expecting the city to run on nothing more than fresh air is the ultimate green economy.
The new council tax will mean people living in Band A properties, which make up most homes in Liverpool, will have to pay an extra 40p a week.
In a nutshell this is what it means
** £42m will be cut from Adult Social Care over the next three years. This includes a proposal to significantly reduce the number of day centres provided by the council.
** There will be a £16m cut in Children’s Services, leading to a significantly reduced number of council-run Children’s Centres.
** Libraries will have to save half a million this year, on top of the £1m cut imposed last year.
** Lifestyle Centres will have to save £4m with the phased closure of Park Road and Everton Park centres, starting with their swimming facilities.
** School crossing patrols will have to hang up their lollipops 2015/16 unless schools pay them.
** Hundreds of council jobs – the number has yet to be decided – will also go., along with investments in pelican crossings at key sites. We will work with schools to see if they can individually fund the patrols once the budget saving is made.
'Forget post-second world war, forget what happened in the eighties - these cuts are far, far worse than any of those challenges'
Mayor Anderson’s message to the people of Liverpool: “Over the last 12 months I have lived and breathed this budget and it doesn’t become any easier over time. We are facing the biggest financial challenge this city has ever had to face in its entire history. Forget post-second world war, forget what happened in the eighties - these cuts are far, far worse than any of those challenges.
“I did not become Mayor to implement such devastating cuts or to dramatically affect people’s lives and services. But I did become Mayor to lead this city and to act on behalf of its people. I became Mayor knowing I had to make hard decisions, the right decisions at the right time and to take this city forward.
“I have heard from service users, residents and staff about the devastating impact the cuts are having and will have on their lives. Their stories are heart breaking, but I’m sad to say, they weren’t surprising.
“It is clear that we are in this on our own – no-one is going to save us from the Government funding cuts. We have been dealt our cards and it is up to us to arrange them in whatever way we can. It is up to me as Mayor and all elected members to work together in order to get through what is going to be a very challenging time.
“That’s why we’re doing what we can to protect the most vulnerable, Using the Council’s own money to minimise the impact of the Government’s Council Tax benefit cut, supporting Credit Unions with £1 million and helping foodbanks with the Mayor’s Hope Fund.
“But these challenges will be overcome if we grasp the opportunities; if we are willing to keep an open mind, think differently and be prepared to do things differently; efficiency can be the driver of our most innovative ideas.
“If we want to keep hold of services, if we want to spend money on our young people, our old people, safer, cleaner and greener communities then we have to generate the funding to do it and we have to be resilient and imaginative in what we do.
“The fact is that Liverpool today is a thriving city - a confident and exciting place, a place buzzing with excitement about its future, which is sound and secure.
“We are a city that is rebuilding itself after years of difficulty. We are overcoming the challenges we face, and we are seizing the opportunities we have.
“These cuts are going to make things very difficult - there is no doubt about that. But together we will get through it and together we will move forward.”
