Gordon Raises Council Concerns In Parliament
Gordon spoke in Parliament last night in his new role as Shadow Local Government and Communities Minister, highlighting the effects Government cuts are already having on council services and linked activities across the country. Gordon was speaking in the Local Government opposition debate, pointing to newspaper reports showing the impact of the cuts‘
Gordon’s comments in the debate referred to closely with the issues around protests earlier this week over the proposed job cuts at Blackpool Council, as a result of the £3million cut in funding from the Government.
As the Financial Times survey of 22 June showed, Connexions Positive Activities for Young People and free school meals are highly visible services that will be cut the most..
‘there is nothing for younger people in these cuts. The Government are removing subsidies from the six-month offer and they are ending the second tranche of the future jobs fund-all that means 40,000 to 80,000 youth jobs going.’
Gordon also spoke of the pressures Third Sector and Voluntary organisations face as a result of the cuts.
‘Although the coalition expects third sector bodies to play a key role, the cuts that have been announced will be a triple whammy for them. As was pointed out, councils will cut the sums that third sector bodies currently receive.
The resulting financial pressure will restrict the capacity of those organisations at the very time when they are expected to take on a greater role..
Will they be able to secure proper service level agreements and guarantees, given that councils will be under significant funding pressures throughout the current Parliament?
As reported in Tuesday’s Gazette, jobs under threat at the Council include school welfare officers, family intervention officers, with 80% of jobs in the Connexions service being under risk. Demonstrators warned the most vulnerable sectors of society would suffer if the redundancies go ahead
To view Gordon's speech in Hansard, click here
To view the Gazette story on Blackpool Council Jobs Situation, click here.
