Making a difference to the people of Medway

Deputy Leader Alan Jarrett: Opponents would slash spending for passes

Article posted on Friday, 22 January 2010

Last month I wrote about the shortage of money that afflicts Medway Council. Yet to listen to opposition parties during the last council debate, you could be forgiven for thinking we are loaded.

The subject up for debate was a Labour proposal to introduce a Freedom Pass giving free bus travel for children. A laudable enough idea, if only it were affordable – with a projected cost of at least £3 million a year.

The basis of the argument being was if Kent County Council could afford a Freedom Pass, then so can we.

The argument misses the central point that in Medway, Council Tax is almost £150 per year less than in the rest of Kent. In Medway a Freedom Pass would add up to three percent to our council tax bills.

The debate was revealing, for Labour, Lib Dem and Independent councillors rattled off a list of cuts to service delivery that they would make in order to finance their latest wheeze.

They would slash spending on existing bus services, including the popular yellow bus scheme, and slash the ward improvement and members’ priority schemes which are being used to fund scores of improvements to neighbourhoods across Medway.

Schemes such as road safety improvements, new and improved allotments, sports and play schemes, community safety initiatives such as CCTV, plus a host of minor road improvements would all be cut to pay for Labour’s latest gimmick.

Unsurprisingly, the sums do not add up, for the cuts they outlined would not fund even half of the £3 million bill. It leaves you wondering what else they are planning to cut.

Each year they callously try to block the Conservative budget, trying to deprive both young and old of the support they need in these difficult times.

Schemes to provide more disabled facilities would be cut by the opposition, as would special educational needs support for children needing our support. The list of cuts being planned by the opposition as the budget-setting meeting approaches is horrendous and demonstrates the depths to which some politicians can sink as a general election approaches.

Thankfully the Conservative majority will prevail – but watch for those proposed cuts as the opposition sharpens its knives.