New leaflet from Labour - 'Coalition Cuts Special'

Labour volunteers across SE11 are currently delivering a new leaflet, explaining the scale and impact of the government's cuts to Lambeth Council.

Everybody was expecting cuts to council funding, but the harshness with which the Lib Dem- Tory Coalition has targetted local government has taken everybody by surprise.

Lambeth will have to find £90 million in savings, from a budget of around £300 million. To make matters worse, the cuts are 'frontloaded' to the next financial year, meaning £40 million will have to be taken out of the budget by April 2010.

Labour councillors will be doing everything in our power to mitigate the effects of the cuts, but it is inevitable that there will be reductions in services, job losses, and difficult decisions.

Distressingly, cuts on this scale are not even necessary or sensible. As Lambeth's finance chief Paul McGlone explains:

'Like other countries, Britain has big debts from bailing out the banks to save our economy from collapsing. All parties supported that. But while Labour wanted to pay off the debt at a rate the country could afford, the Lib Dems and Tories have pushed through plans to cut services hard and deep - creating the risk of another recession and higher unemployment. It's like trying to pay off a mortgage in five years instead of over 25 - you wouldn't do it, and nor should the government'.

Councillors slam Tory/Lib Dem school building cuts in Lambeth

Labour councillors Lorna Campbell, Mark Harrison and Steve Morgan have slammed the recent admission by Tory Education secretary Michael Gove that he is cutting more than £200 million in Lambeth schools funding, just days before contracts were due to be agreed and building work was to begin.

Local schools including Archbishop Tenison's and Lilian Baylis had been promised rebuilt or refurbished school buildings under the Building Schools for the Future project, but the Tory/Lib Dem coalition government has now dashed their hopes. Michael Gove has now cancelled Lambeth’s entire programme, affecting thousands of pupils at eleven secondary schools. The cancelled investment in schools was desperately needed, both to renew or rebuild tired buildings, and also to provide much needed extra places in the borough, including a new school for Brixton. The creation of hundreds of local construction jobs will also be dashed.

Labour councillor Mark Harrison said: “Teachers and pupils at Archbishop Tenison's school had been promised millions in funding to bring their school up to modern standards. Now the Tory/Lib Dem government have destroyed their dream of modern buildings by cancelling Building Schools for the Future in Lambeth outright, affecting the life chances of hundreds of local children Kennington and Vauxhall. Lilian Baylis school was about to start work on an expansion to their site but this has now been put on hold.

“Lambeth is still desperately short of places for secondary school age children, despite Labour building three new schools from scratch in the last few years. Labour’s plans for school rebuilding would have created the extra places our borough need – but the Tories and Lib Dems will leave our children having to travel miles out of the borough to get to school.

“What’s more, Lambeth has already spent more than £6 million on preparing planning permissions and producing designs for the eleven new schools – local taxpayers will be outraged that the coalition government’s decision will see that money go to waste.”

Lambeth Labour are now leading a ‘Save Our Schools’ campaign, to shame the Tory/Lib Dem government into reversing their short-sighted decision. They are urging local parents and children to write to Education secretary Michael Gove telling him how their decision will affect their education, and urging him to restore the funding Lambeth needs. He can be contacted at:

The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP
Secretary of State for Education
Sanctuary Buildings
Great Smith Street
London SW1P 3BT

Or email: ministers@education.gsi.gov.uk

Pictured: Lilian Baylis School's expansion is now on hold, whilst other schools' plans have been cancelled altogether