CUTTING pay for senior officers, scrapping the One Barnet project and reducing the number of consultants are all part of the alternative budget plan put forward by Labour.
Tonight Barnet councillors will vote on a string of measures including slashing funding for two museums and a theatre, cutting the number of children’s centres and getting rid of lollipop crossing patrols as part of the Conservative party budget.
But, under alternative plans from the opposition, funding for all these items would be kept in place, with cuts falling on contractor staffing and the controversial One Barnet, or easyCouncil, project.
Labour leader Councillor Alison Moore said: “We believe nationally and locally the Conservatives are cutting too far and too fast and not giving people time to plan for the future.
“ We’ve set our own budget as a way of saying actually there are other ways to reduce the budgets. We would look to cut senior management salaries, reduce the number of middle managers and scrap easyCouncil, which has so far failed to save anything.”
Huge hikes in parking permits and charges would also be scrapped under the Labour plans, but increased hours for the A5 bus lane would be put in place to help raise extra cash needed for road repairs.
Cllr Moore added: “I just feel these increases particularly place the burden of repairs on the minority of borough residents and the increase in visitor parking vouchers will have a real detrimental affect to many older residents who rely on casual carers and networks.
“Increases in parking charges and the pay-by-phone system, and getting rid of parking meters is also affecting local businesses.
“The bus lane enforcement would penalise people who break the rules and a lot of people who travel through the borough, rather than the residents.”
Under the costed-out plans, all 21 children’s centres would remain, instead of a cut to 13, with money for Sure Start programmes ringfenced.
Councillor Barry Rawlings told the Times Series the money would help ensure a better start for many more families, instead of a planned £2m fund from the council to target early intervention.
He said: “These centres offer real early intervention by allowing people from all backgrounds to come together and learn from each other.
“The type of intervention they’re proposing is with families already in crisis, not stopping them reaching that point. Children’s centres are a vital way of doing this.”
Church Farmhouse and Barnet museums, as well as the artsdepot, would all keep funding for this year in the plans, to allow them time to plan how to run themselves in the future.
There would also be cuts to the council’s communications department, losing two managers and a press officer in what Cllr Moore described as a “war on spin”.
She said plans to cut funding to youth services and charities would also be looked at again and some of the money retained.
The proposals will be put forward for councillors to vote on tonight, against the Conservative plans.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel