Lib-Dems eye budget targets

Howard Sykes

OLDHAM'S Liberal Democrat group have called on the Council to invest in highway and environmental improvements as councillors prepare to approve the budget for 2017/18 on Wednesday.

The Lib Dems say they support Labour's proposal to increase Council Tax by 3.99 per cent, including a 2 per cent increase to pay for improvements to adult social care, however the group have also proposed further budget measures, which will go before Full Council on March 1.

The Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, said: "The Liberal Democrats will once again support this rise as it will at least raise some more money for services; but we also think it is important to focus every penny that we have on core services.

"As well as revenue-raising, our strategy is to continue to identify savings in back-office bureaucracy and waste to free up money to support the services that are most valued by our ratepayers."

The Liberal Democrats are proposing measures to generate an estimated £730,000 in savings each year, with suggestions including reducing publications, printing and advertising and reducing expenditure on employing agency staff as well as reducing the size of the communications/policy team.

They have argued the cash saved could be spent on road improvements, creating cleaner streets and providing more youth outreach provision.

Councillor Sykes added: "This modest amount could nonetheless be a game-changer - it would provide us with the revenue we need to borrow more than £5 million to invest in our key highways, with enough left over to radically improve our gully-cleaning service, restore a free Bulky Bobs waste collection service and pay for more youth outreach provision to engage with young people."

The budget, confirmed by Cabinet on Monday, saw members recommend the council tax increase as well as budget savings of almost £15million, comprised of £9.498m worth of savings with the remaining shortfall made up from council reserves.

Councillor Sykes said: "The Liberal Democrat Group recognises that once again this year the Labour Administration has been forced to cut spending and services as the grant from central government has once more been squeezed; and the situation will not improve whilst the Conservatives remain in office.

"Local government continues to be one of the biggest victims of this Government's austerity strategy and things will only get worse; by 2021 Oldham will lose its entire central Government grant."