Protests in vain as Leicester City Council agrees to cuts

The most controversial budget for decades was approved last night by Leicester city councillors after more than four hours of fiery debate.

The public gallery at Leicester's Town Hall was cleared of members of the public under the orders of the Lord Mayor after some spectators became rowdy and chanted anti-cuts slogans.

There had earlier been protests against the proposals by union members and community centre users outside the Town Hall.

The budget was put forward by the ruling Labour group in response to Government reductions in grants to the council of about �100 million over four years.

The council plans to axe 500 posts in the first year, followed by a further 500 in subsequent years.

Bus subsidies will be cut and the city's eight care homes for the elderly will be closed.

Council leader Veejay Patel said: "This is not a budget which any Labour councillor would have wished to put forward.

"This is not of our choice and this is not of our making. Unfortunately, though, the Government is playing fast and loose with the economy.

"There are, no doubt, more cuts to come and the public sector in Leicester will change dramatically over the next few years."

Also approved were plans to close almost all day care centres used by some of the city's most vulnerable people – unless a voluntary organisation steps forward to take them over.

The council will merge two day care centres for people with learning disabilities into one specialist unit.

The number of street cleaning vehicles will be scaled back and �1.3 million of funding for teams that help drug addicts and alcoholics will be axed.

Coun Patel described concerns raised by communities secretary Eric Pickles about "fat cat" council salaries and allowances "as a smokescreen".

But Tory opposition group leader Ross Grant put forward a motion to bind all councillors to support cutting allowances by �100,000.

A similar proposal was suggested by Coun Patel earlier this month. The budget proposal was light on detail on the pledge but Coun Grant's amendment was agreed.

He said: "Many cuts have to be made and the city's cabinet members should not have been surprised by this. However, they were unprepared.

"The council should have been looking to share more of its back office services with other councils to save money without cutting frontline services."

Liberal Democrat leader Pete Coley put forward a raft of amendments, including extra funding for the threatened Douglas Bader Centre, reducing burial and cremation costs and preserving some cash for meals on wheels.

The party said the proposals could be paid for with a range of measures including tougher sickness policies for council staff.

The amendments were defeated.

Labour cabinet member Sarah Russell said: "This has been the toughest budget we've faced. However, we have protected services such as museums, weekly bin collections and leisure centres."

Former council leader Ross Willmott said: "The reason the Conservative group didn't come up with an alternative budget is because they agree with these cuts.

"They dislike public services so they are happy to see them cut."

Source: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/32715/f/503348/s/12ef4e6d/l/0L0Sthisisleicestershire0O0Cnews0CProtests0Evain0Ecity0Ecouncil0Eagrees0Ecuts0Carticle0E32631430Edetail0Carticle0Bhtml/story01.htm

Opera Financial sector Allen Stanford Russell Brand Madeleine McCann The US embassy cables