Cameron’s Councils
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Sevenoaks
Cuts for Citizens’ Advice, maintenance of expensive councillor dinners.
Coventry
Scrapping help for school uniforms, extra money for flowers.
Homelessness
Like David Cameron, Grant Shapps, the Tory Housing Shadow, tries to talk a good game to the media, saying “How we combat homelessness is a mark of a civilised society”. But, as in Bury, Conservative Council Hammersmith & Fulham has closed 12 homeless hostels and Councillor Greg Smith, its Cabinet Member for Crime and Anti-Social behaviour, told the press that the homeless are a “law and order issue” and banned Crisis from running a Christmas night shelter.
Poorer pensioners
Cameron talks about ‘moral failure’ but it is pensioners that are suffering from Conservative decisions. Under the Tories in Coventry elderly and disabled residents will pay 40% more for services such as home care and meals on wheels. Meals-on-wheels charges are nearly doubling in Wolverhampton as a result of the Conservative-led Council there. Croydon Tories considered – before eventually rejecting – hiking shopmobilty charges for disabled shoppers. And Cameron favourite Hammersmith & Fulham has whacked up meals-on-wheels charges by 60% over three years, adding £547 to each elderly person’s bill.
Family support
Cameron talks about supporting families, saying at one of his press conferences “flexible working, family centres, relationship advice – all of these things matter.” Yet in Southampton, the Tory Council tried to axe three family centres. Thankfully a local campaign forced them to withdraw the plans.
Young people
Speeches are sprinkled with the need for support for young people, including youth clubs. But Cameron’s councils tell a different story. In Coventry the Tories have scrapped 14 children’s clubs and playschemes. Tory-run Hammersmith & Fulham has closed and sold a youth club. Conservative Harlow has slashed money for youth work, as has Wolverhampton with seven youth workers axed and another £346,000 cuts planned.
Help and advice
Despite councils getting money from the Labour Government to improve advice services on debt and Government help made available during the recession, Tory-run Harlow has cut funding for the local Harlow Advice Centre by 80%, and reduced opening hours and staffing – at a time when its services are needed most.Hammersmith & Fulham has also cut advice centres, including one by more than 60%.
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