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LIBERAL DEMOCRAT ALTERNATIVE BUDGET PROPOSALS
The Radical Alternative - A fairer, safer, cleaner, greener Southampton.
Our budget protects the well-being of the most vulnerable people, promotes the quality of life in our neighbourhoods and preserves more jobs, while freezing Council Tax for another year. We offer the radical alternative to Conservative cuts to maintain their pet projects and Labour's lack of imagination.
The Liberal Democrat Group's Budget Proposals would:
Reprieve or reduce cuts in:
● Care costs for disabled people
● Advice and advocacy for vulnerable people
● Play and Youth services
● Prevention and inclusion in schools
● Community Safety
● Street Cleaning
● Parks
● Protecting jobs
● Regeneration
● Planning enforcement
● Promoting arts & leisure.
Provide for new initiatives for:
● Social Housing
● Adult Social Care
● Carers (including young carers)
● Road and pavement repairs
● Public Transport
● Cycleways
● Neighbourhood environments
● Youth Services (Junior Wardens)
● Youngsters not in eductation, employment or training (NEETs), including promoting apprenticeships.
● Grants to the voluntary sector
● Community involvement.
Our budget retains the funding set aside in the Council's final offer to settle the dispute over pay and conditions as a basis for further negotiation at the earliest opportunity.
These initiatives can be achieved while freezing Council Tax and within a balanced budget by:
● Reducing unfair discounts
● Removing costly capital charges from the shoulders of the Council Tax payer
● Savings in publicity, printing and supplies
● Cutting redundancies
● Reducing incentives to keep properties empty as soon as new legislation comes into force.
We are appalled that the Conservative Administration, after two year's negotiation, has only secured savings worth £500k (1.6%) from a £33 millions contract with Capita. We propose a mid-year target of at least twice that amount.
The Conservative Budget hits some of the most vulnerable people (especially disabled adults and disadvantaged children) and diminishes the quality of life in our communities and environment, while preserving unfair discounts for those they hope will vote for them. The damaging effects of their budget are very evident from the accompanying Impact Assessments.
Labour failed to put forward any budget last year. This year they are just tinkering at the edges. When will they have the courage to tell us what to expect if they were to return to power?
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