Liberal Democrat reacts to latest cuts

The Liberal Democrat Group has reacted to further cuts of £12m from the County Council with concern that they are focused on the most vulnerable.

Simon Galton, Group Leader said:

"No doubt people will blame the Coalition Government, and I am not going to defend the government. The fact is that these cuts are being forced upon us by a new government clearing up the mess of 13 years of Labour mismanagement and credit card spending.

Local Councils were told last month to find £1.165bn and Leicestershire's share of this is £12.8m on top of the £66m the Conservatives administration is already committed to cutting. These are big amounts being taken from key services such as Youth work, Special Educational Needs and Teenage Pregnancy teams; the County's young people stand to suffer the most from these cuts.

The question facing all local councils is what their priorities should be in the face of these cuts. The problem in Leicestershire is that we have a Conservative administration that thinks appointing a 'spin doctor' on £65,000 a year is more important than protecting services to Children and Young People.

Sadly this is not the end of the matter because of the Comprehensive Spending Review will be published in October, is likely to mean further reductions in government grants. This makes it even more important that Leicestershire County Council focuses on protecting frontline services. "