Claim Council is wrong to shut vital services
At last night’s Cabinet Meeting, the Labour Administration formally voted to close the Albert Dane Centre for people with physical disabilities and the LINKS project for people with mental health needs.
According to Cllr Bell, Leader of the Council, “these difficult” decisions being taken with a “heavy heart” was being driven by the Council’s Property Strategy and cuts imposed on the Council by the Coalition Government.
Cllr David Scott, Shadow Cabinet Member - Finance and Performance said:
''The Labour Cabinet Members are being very economical with the truth. The proposals to close the Albert Dane Centre and the LINKS project was included 3 years ago in the package prepared by Council Officers for the Conservative Administration. We choose not to close these valuable services, as we recognized they provided a lifeline to some of our most vulnerable residents.
''For Labour to therefore assert that the closures is result of the Coalition Government is a stone face lie, as is their attempts to accuse us of having planned to close these facilities.
''Labour’s problem is that they are harbouring under the false impression that cutting 25% across the board is the fairest approach. However, as a Council we exist to provide or enable services to be provided, and this means prioritizing what is important for our residents. Overwhelmingly, the answers will be: keeping day care centres and libraries open, employing more social workers, rather than spending on council bureaucrats, IT systems and CCTV camera to target motorist.
''If closing day centres is Labour’s idea of “making every effort to protect the elderly, disabled, children and young people who are the most vulnerable residents of the Borough,” then we are all doomed.”
1 December 2010