Lib Dems to put forward alternative efficiency savings budget (Rochdale Liberal Democrats)

Rochdale Liberal Democrats <info@rochdalelibdems.org.uk>

Lib Dems to put forward alternative efficiency savings budget

December 22, 2010 3:55 PM

Councillor Irene Davison Rochdale Liberal Democrats have announced they will be putting forward their own alternative efficiency savings programme and budget in light of the coalition ending with the conservatives.

The Lib Dems have now appointed a new finance team whose first task is to conduct a serious review early in the New Year of the proposals, as put forward under the previous coalition's finance portfolio holder.

Just like all Councils across the country, Rochdale Council has to make significant savings. As a result of the current financial crisis the council's budgets have been reduced. The target for savings is around £50million to be achieved by the financial year 2011/12. Consultation for Phase 1of the saving proposals has now closed and phase 2, worth over 30 million, closes on 26 January 2011.

Councillor Irene Davidson said: "It's important that now the coalition has ended we look over the proposals for phase two and the Council budget in general to decide on the changes we as a Liberal Democrat Group would like to see. During our time in the Coalition there were compromises that needed to be made but those restrictions have now ended.

She continued: "We have already acted in phase 1 as we pushed for the proposed cuts to the Arts and Heritage service to be put back into phase 2 for further consideration. This is because the Lib Dem group felt that the cuts as presented were disproportionate to this service. Our priorities as always will be to save frontline services and make sure that our changes do not impact the people of Rochdale hard.

She added: "The residents of Rochdale know that cuts have to be made, and we will work constructively to support where appropriate those proposals that focus on the priorities for the borough. Although let us not forget why the country is in the largest debt position in its history, and we know that the previous Labour government got us into this chaos, and were not even honest enough to say were their own planned cuts were going to fall."