LETTER: Government spending reductions are politics of the madhouse

I WAS interested to hear Burnley is among the 10 worst-hit councils in terms of Government spending reductions, along with Pendle, Hyndburn and Preston (see www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11980367).
By The Newsroom
Published 21st Dec 2010, 10:12 BST

So much for having a Lib Dem MP allegedly at the heart of Government.

I then went on to the Communities and Local Government website to see how badly Burnley had actually fared and examine the figures in detail.

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I find it’s not an 8.9% reduction as the BBC reports, it’s actually a 19.5% reduction in council spending power, as the grant reduction is more than £4.1m. this year, only offset with a “transition grant” - i.e. not permanent, of £2.2m. for 2010/11 (www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1112/grant.htm Annex B for 2010/11).

The figures for 2011/12 are also on the site and are even worse.

This, frankly, is the politics of the madhouse. Already well-off Conservative councils in the South are feather-bedded with 3% and 4% reductions in spending, and poorer councils in the North get almost 20% cuts.

No wonder kids are rioting in the streets. Add this to the 20% VAT rate coming as a New Year present for everyone, along with record petrol prices and £9,000 annual tuition fees for university students, and ask yourselves, did you vote Lib Dem for this Tory budget settlement?

TONY MARTIN

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Burnley

Related topics:BurnleyPendleBBCPreston