Last week I spent some time talking to Toby Young for some time about Kensal Rise Library for his Spectator piece on the subject. He is obviously determined to fight the Tory Party's corner for them by invoking the "bleeding stumps" argument.
This deeply implausible idea is that the biggest cuts in local government that anyone can remember can in fact all be accommodated without any real problems. He thinks that Labour Councils are deliberately closing down much loved local services when they don't have to, in order to discredit the government. The Eric Pickles line in fact.
I know that is not true in Brent, and I doubt whether it would be true anywhere. Firstly, I know that councillors, of whatever party, get satisfaction not from closing things but from establishing them. Experienced councillor boast about securing this service or that service. You never hear them boasting of cutting spending or closing things down. Secondly, how does Toby Young square his view with the many Tory Councils that are cutting services? For instance, are the cuts being made to Tory run Barnet's children's centres cynically designed to embarrass their own government?
1 comment:
his point was that you were offered a way of cutting costs by using volunteers and it was turned down flat for spurious reasons. Most of you councillors just dont accept that most of us on the outside really do just want you to organise bin collection, local school, libraries and fill the odd pothole. what you do and get us to pay for should be decided by the centre and anything else put to local vote.
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