The second motion to last nights Bury Full Council Meeting was a Liberal Democrat motion following on from the Coalition Government’s Emergency Budget and the resulting impact on Bury Council services.

As a result of the emergency budget local authorities are being asked to cut immediately £1.6 billion from the budgets they approved in March for the current year. In Bury’s case this boiled down to £5.2 million cut from grants expected from the Government.

Local Liberal Democrats feel very strongly that so far as possible proposed cuts to services need to follow extensive consultation with local residents, users, staff and Unions. We need to explain, identify the issues, challenge officers to find less painful options and savings and basically bend over backwards to protect local services and staff.

As a result the Liberal Democrat Group tabled the following motion:

Public Expenditure Motion

“This Council notes:

1.The unsustainable high levels of public debt and budget deficit that the country has been left in by the previous Government.
2.That the Government has announced significant cuts to public spending which include £1.6 Billion cuts to local government finances, and that more reductions are expected to follow.

This Council therefore believes that it is imperative that urgent and immediate action is taken to address the impact on Bury Council and the services it provides, in particular;

1. To identify and highlight how best to protect statutory services
2. To identify and highlight how best to protect other frontline services
3. To ensure that other non-frontline but necessary services or administration can continue to provide an effective and efficient service to the authority
4. To protect as many jobs as possible
5. To work with partners in the city region and across the North West to safeguard the local and regional economy
6. Work with our MPs and neighbouring authorities to ensure a fair deal for the region and sub-region in any grant reductions

This Council therefore resolves that the discussions and decisions relating to these budgetary challenges will take place in an open and transparent manner, including:

1. Welcoming the establishment of the all-Party Overview Working Group on the budget to look into these issues in greater depth
2. Ensuring that proper scrutiny of any decisions takes place, through the Internal Scrutiny Committee or as appropriate.
3. That ways are found to involve and inform the public in the important decisions about services in the Borough
4. That all members of Council are kept informed and briefed throughout the process of current savings and discussions for the 2011-2012 Council Budget.”

Proposer: Cllr Vic D’Albert        Seconder: Cllr Richard Baum

An amendment was tabled by the Labour Group basically referring to the Government as the Con/Dems and trying to delete the first paragraph or two – they were upset that we identified that the last Labour Government had left the country near bankrupt. Sorry facts are facts! The amendment failed. The motion was passed by Bury Council.

You can read my speech in proposing the motion here: speech_30610.pdf