Council opposes ‘unnecessary cuts’

Hackney Council passed an emergency motion to “announce opposition to unnecessary cuts” at a meeting of the full council on 24 November.

The motion resolved that the council was “outraged by the scale of the cuts to local authorities announced by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government on 20 October” and “that the cuts are made worse in the most deprived boroughs such as Hackney by the removal of additional grants that tackled inequality.”

Following debate, an adjournment and several rejected amendments, the Liberal Democrats voted to abstain, the Conservatives refused to vote and the motion passed with a large majority.

Labour councillor Michelle Gregory proposed the motion, asking the council to reject the scale of the cuts.

The motion was seconded by Cllr Linda Smith. She said: “I hope you will join us in publicly condemning these ideologically driven cuts that will take a wrecking ball to communities like this one in Hackney.”

In defence of coalition government policy, Liberal Democrat councillor Ian Sharer said: “The cuts could be £50 million, they could not be. We don’t know and you [Mayor Pipe] should not be putting them in print. [The figure of £50m  was published in the council’s freesheet Hackney Today, 15 November 2010, p3].

Mayor Jules Pipe responded: “If you wait to see what the government does it will be too late. London Councils have taken these figures and worked them through.

“Figures have been published under the spending review. You should take this up with your government.”

Labour councillors then took it in turns to the back the motion.  Cllr Luke Akehurst accused the Liberal Democrat group of ‘Stockholm Syndrome’, a condition whereby hostages develop a bond with their captors. “Now you need to put pressure on ministers,” he told them. “If we wait any longer to react, the opportunity will have gone. It is not difficult – it’s easy to defend the people of Hackney.

“It feels like talking to a brick wall with the Conservatives, but the Liberal Democrats should speak to their ministers.”

Labour councillor Sharon Patrick said she was “totally disgusted and horrified by these cuts,” whilst her colleague Cllr Geoffrey Taylor said the policy behind the cuts “does not care for people who are poor, who are sick, who are disabled.”

The Liberal Democrat group then asked for an adjournment to amend the motion. On their return, Cllr Sharer announced they wanted to make two omissions and four amendments to the motion, changes which were rejected by Cllr Gregory.

If the council could not be flexible, Cllr Sharer said, the Liberal Democrat group would be unable to back the motion.

“I can’t vote against the cuts if I don’t what they are,” Cllr Sharer explained. “What do you want me to do, resign from the Liberal Democrats?”

This last question was met by cheers of “yes” from the Labour group.