Have Your Say on Council Budget

Click here to have your say on the Council's Budget Consultation

Stockport residents are being invited to take part in a consultation regarding the Council’s budget for next year.

The proposals for the budget for the year 2012-13 have been made earlier than usual so that local residents, businesses, trade unions and other local organisations can have their say on the plans that protect frontline services, including no closed libraries, parks or children’s centres. 

Manor Councillor Sue Derbyshire, said “This is not about closing libraries or providing only critical social care. Instead, in Stockport we are committed to redesigning services so that the savings have as little impact as possible on front line service to people in Stockport.”

This commitment to local services is in stark contrast to the local authorities near to Stockport, where deep cuts to services are being made. 

Rochdale Council is making 160 compulsory redundancies, a third of all Bolton’s libraries are set to be closed and Manchester is cutting more than a quarter of its children’s services, despite having £100 million sat in its bank account.

Labour secrets

While the Lib Dems at the Council are consulting taxpayers and local business about their plans, Stockport’s Labour councillors have refused to reveal their budget proposals to voters.

And Labour councillors have been accused by the government of “playing politics” with the services used by vulnerable people – cynically slashing services in the hope voters will lay the blame at the coalition government, despite everyone knowing that a Labour government would be making almost identical cuts at a national level.

Cllr Derbyshire said: “As we have done previously, we will do everything we possibly can to minimise the effects of the budget reductions on the people of Stockport and the council’s workforce.

“The country’s economic situation requires us to dig deep, think creatively and identify new ways of delivering essential services at a lower cost base.”

Residents can click here to have their say in the consultation which is open until 22 November.

Please follow and like us:

Leave a Reply