Islington Labour Councillors have published the Council’s draft annual budget.
The borough’s budget has been savaged by the Tory Lib Dem Government as part of its £335 million cuts to Islington’s community services over four years. The council has lost £40 million in Government funding for services this year. With other cost increases, the Council faced a budget gap of £52 million from last year’s budget.
The cuts came as Tory/Lib Dem Government Minister Grant Shapps personally refused to stop targeting areas with many low-income households, like Islington. Affluent areas like Richmond-upon-Thames have had only 2 percent cuts, while Islington has been hit with a 12 percent cut.
The budget sets out those services that Councillors have managed to protect from the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats and those that will face Government cuts.
The councillors’ priority has been to protect services that support low-income people, the young and the vulnerable.
Key achievements include:
Retaining our policy of free school meals for all primary school children, meaning that children from working families will still get a healthy nutritious meal every day.
Establishing a Citizens’ Advice Bureau to provide advice to Islington residents faced with the consequences of Government cuts. Also protecting the Welfare Rights team, providing advice on benefits and welfare.
Setting up a new £1,000,000 Voluntary Sector Rescue Fund to overturn some of the worst Government cuts to the voluntary sector organisations. This money will support local community hubs, luncheon clubs for older people, boost the budget for advice organisations facing multiple cuts, and support Connect (help on your doorstep)’s work bringing support directly to low-income families who most need it.
Keeping crossing patrols (lollipop men and ladies)
Adding an extra animal warden
Keeping all of our Children’s Centres open despite government cuts to their funding.
Protecting the older people’s council tax discount
Supporting the vulnerable and protecting our fairness agenda by:
Earmarking £400,000 to support continuing work to combat child poverty by working with low-income families to boost their skills and employment chances.
Providing £2 million extra for learning disabled people
Providing £2 million for child protection
Keeping adult social services for people with moderate needs – one of the only boroughs in London to do this.
However, there will be reductions in staffing levels in many services, affecting waiting times and support. Areas such as environmental sustainability have been scaled back and much loved services, such as the PlusBus may well be stopped, following cuts from the Government and Boris Johnson.
Commenting on the draft Budget, Councillor Catherine West, Leader of Islington Council, said:
“The Tory Lib Dem Government’s cuts have taken millions out of services that support our community and ordinary hard working people will suffer because of the decisions that the Government has made.
“We are on the Side of Islington’s community, and that is why we have worked hard to protect what we can. In our draft budget, we have established a new Citizens Advice Bureau and protected advice services, we are proposing a new million pound fund to protect the voluntary sector and we have kept our children’s centres open this year.”
Councillor Richard Greening, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Finance, said:
“There will be many serious service cuts and job losses, but for this year we have managed to fend off the worst of the Government’s attack on our community.
“Each year of the Government’s cuts will be worse for Islington’s community – more services will close and fewer people will get the support they need. That is why we are appealing to the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats to stop targeting boroughs like Islington in this way.”
More information on the budget is available here: http://www.islington.gov.uk/Democracy/reports/reportdetail.asp?ReportID=9126&intSectionID=6&intSubSectionID=2
