OPPOSITION councillors have accused those in charge in York of hitting services for children and vulnerable people hardest in their budget for the year ahead.
Labour, the main opposition on City of York Council, has voiced fears over the fact that £3 million of the £5 million in cuts, either already agreed or freshly announced this week, have come by cutting children’s, adults and public health services.
Labour group leader Cllr Janet Looker, said they would be looking for ways to reverse some of the cuts.
"All budgets that come forward from this Tory-Lib Dem Coalition appear to prioritise removing services to vulnerable children and adults, which of course is something Labour councillors are vehemently opposed to," she added.
"The move towards removing any significant services supporting these people continues, with day services for vulnerable adults taking a major hit in this latest budget. It’s something we’re particularly uncomfortable with and will consider reversing in our budget amendment. It’s foolhardy to think the voluntary sector can endlessly pick up all of these important services and try to run them on a shoestring."
Budgets are getting smaller in the Healthy Child Service as well as early intervention and prevention programmes, and Cllr Looker has complained that while new investments in adult social care were trumpeted in budget announcements earlier this week, £1 million of cuts in the same area were not mentioned.
Her party colleague Cllr Neil Barnes, their finance spokesman in York, said there were gaps between what the the public had told councillors in a consultation, and what was being proposed.
"Some of the logic in this budget is difficult to follow. In the consultation we have a minority preferring ‘more efficiency over increased council tax and fewer services’, yet we don’t hear what the majority response has been."
“We see low numbers of people wishing to see ward committee funding protected and yet this doesn’t translate into what we see in front of us in the Coalition budget. It begs the question, why consult if you’re going to simply ignore what people tell you?
He added: "Longer term, the race to the bottom amongst Tories and Lib Dems on council tax means the public are short-changed on the services they receive. This does have an impact with York performing amongst the worst in the region in some services. That’s nothing to be proud about and runs counter to the positive aspects of living in a wonderful city like York."
The pair said Labour would be developing an alternative budget ahead of the key meeting of the council in late February.