COUNCIL services are facing the worst spending cuts for 30 years as they fall victim to a three-way squeeze from the Tory government.
• The level of central support grant to councils is being slashed by 0.4 percent in cash terms, while inflationary pressures demand an increase of up to 3 percent to stay level.
• As if that cut were not enough, most councils also face tough 'capping' restrictions limiting the amount they can raise from the council tax. After years of ruthless clampdown in London, this is having the heaviest impact this year on the shire counties, triggering anguished squeals of protest from Tories as well as Labour and Liberal councillors.
• To put the boot in, ministers have disregarded warnings from Education Secretary Gillian Shephard that as many as 10,000 teaching jobs could be axed if the teachers pay award, expected to be 2.9 percent, is not fully funded by the Council cash pays for 60 percent of school budgets, most of it on pay. As Mrs Shephard pointed out in a leaked letter to cabinet colleagues: "If teachers' pay went up by 2-3 percent, schools would need to find resources equivalent to the loss of 7,000- 10,000 teaching posts to fund it. This further tightening of staffing ratios would mean class sizes would shoot up."
Main target
Education, taking the largest share of council spending, has been the main target for cuts, triggering a growing revolt by school governors reluctant to impose sackings, and adopting varying tactics from setting (illegal) deficit budgets to threatening mass resignation to force the blame back onto councils.
But social services - notably services for the elderly, fire services and other important support services are also facing brutal cuts.
The scale of the actual shortfall facing each council varies widely, but Oxfordshire faces a shortfall of up to £23m this year, Taunton £20m, Birmingham £41m and Newcastle £20m over three years.
But while Birmingham's right wing Labour council leader Theresa Stewart has looked unashamedly to axing 600 jobs (hoping for voluntary redundancies. other councils have opted to defy Tory spending limits.
Shropshire's Lib-Lab council has adopted a deficit budget - with the backing of local Tory MP John Biffen. Now what would Tony Blair have to say about that?
• IN SCOTLAND, a separate budget squeeze threatens cuts of up to £230 million. Birmingham fights cuts the end of the month. BRIGHTON borough council is proposing a six per cent cut in spending for next year - £1 million and compul- TRADE UNION NEWS sory redundancies. UNISON is in the process of balloting for industrial action - including a one day strike at The East Sussex county council is going for a £1 million cut in social services. This involves closing down the residential unit at Richmond Place which will involve Working Conference • Job Seekers Allowance • Incapacity Benefit University of London Malet St London Speakers include: • TONY BENN MP • ALAN SIMPSON MP • JILL MOUNTFORD (Welfare State Network) • SARAH WELLINGS (NUS) • KEVIN SEXTON (NUS)
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