Flint Lends Support To Labour Effort In Oldham
Caroline Flint MP, pictured while out campaigning in Hollinwood this afternoon.
Shadow Local Government Secretary Caroline Flint today told Saddleworth News that the borough of Oldham would get “a different kind of council” if Labour takes control next month.
During a campaign visit this afternoon, she said the party would pursue “openness, transparency and a willingness to engage” if it returns to power at the Civic Centre.
Ms Flint said: “Councils are having to make decisions. The Labour group here feel is that there are ways in which they would want to have a different style of council. One that involves local people more in the decision-making about what services they want and how they’re run.”
She continued: “There’s a desire by (Labour group leader) Jim McMahon and his colleagues to really open up the discussions about the future, because if this year’s hard, next year will be hard as well.”
The Liberal Democrat/Conservative administration at the council recently passed the authority’s budget for the new financial year, with £41m of cuts, following a reduction in funding from Westminster. All but £3m were accepted by the Labour group.
The council has stressed that, unlike in some other areas, no libraries, swimming pools or Sure Start centres are being closed. However, Labour did oppose plans to outsource aspects of care for the elderly to the private sector.
Ms Flint commented: “Tories and Liberal Democrats in local government can’t escape the fact that it’s their national colleagues who’ve chosen to go fast and deep in terms of these cuts.”
She added: “I believe we have to tackle the deficit, Labour’s plan was to halve it over four years. This government has chosen to get rid of it in four years. And at the same time, unfortunately, a year on from the general election, we’ve seen unemployment go up, and growth is going in the wrong direction.”
Ms Flint continued: “The cuts that are being imposed aren’t fair either. They’re hitting our poorest communities hardest, like Oldham, like other parts of the north west. There are different ways to handle this and Labour would have done it differently, which would have taken into account fairness, but also the need to stagger the cuts alongside building growth and jobs.”
Political control of Oldham Council is finely balanced, with 27 councillors apiece for the Lib Dems and Labour, four Conservatives and two others. One of the independents, ex-Tory Cllr Len Quinn, has formally joined Labour in the past few days, although he’s not defending his seat in May’s election.
I interviewed Ms Flint as she was out canvassing voters in Hollinwood. You can listen to our conversation by downloading it from here.
For a Lib Dem perspective on some of these issues, you can read a Saddleworth News article about the speech given by council leader Howard Sykes at the budget-setting meeting in February by clicking here.
Elections to both Oldham Council and Saddleworth Parish Council take place on Thursday 5 May, along with the referendum on the Alternative Vote system for Westminster elections.
For full Saddleworth News coverage of the parish election go here, and articles about the borough election are here.
Author: Jude Gidney - Editor
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