Government Cuts to Childcare

Brief for Labour Leaders

Government Cuts to Childcare

Tuesday 19 March 2013

From Stephen Twigg MP and the Shadow Education team

Further Information:

Please contact the office of Stephen Twigg MP, Shadow Education Secretary

alex.bigham@parliament.uk 

020 7219 4158

A open letter to the Chancellor

Dear Chancellor,

Your Government's efforts to deal with the deficit so far have focussed on cutting public spending. Since 2010, 1,500 fire fighters have lost their jobs; over 300 libraries and 400 Sure Start centres have closed; police numbers have been reduced by over 6,000 and there are 5,000 fewer nurses. The rise in people relying on food banks is a clear sign that many are facing high levels of economic and social distress. 

We believe that you should invest in growth. Local government is demonstrating its ability to drive growth by providing infrastructure investment and supporting local businesses. Allowing local government to borrow in line with prudential rules will enable us to invest in building houses and create desperately needed jobs.

Councils have been handed some of the deepest cuts in the public sector. Local authorities have seen their budgets cut by 33% in comparison to 8% across Whitehall departments. Further cuts to local government would only shift costs to other public services leading to more budget pressures overall on healthcare, policing and prison services.

We believe that you face a clear choice. Rather than hitting frontline services, this Budget presents an opportunity to pool funding across public agencies and could save taxpayers up to £4 billion each year. We are offering help to deliver this policy.

At a time of increased unemployment, the nation's safety net has been seriously compromised. The bedroom tax, council tax benefit reductions and other cuts will mean that many people will struggle to keep their heads above water.

We believe that you should support those who are being hit hardest by the economic downturn. Scrapping the bedroom tax and looking again at the costs to families of all the benefit changes should be a priority before giving tax cuts to the richest people in the country.

Yours sincerely,

Cllr Alan Smith, Leader of the Council, Allerdale Council

Cllr Paul Jones, Leader of the Labour Group, Amber Valley Borough Council

Cllr Robin Stuchbury, Leader of the Labour Group, Aylesbury Vale District Council

Cllr Liam Smith, Leader of the Council, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham

Cllr Alison Moore, Leader of the Labour Group, Barnet London Borough Council

Cllr Stephen Houghton CBE, Leader of the Council, Barnsley Council

Cllr Simon Greaves, Leader of the Council, Bassetlaw District Council

Cllr Susan Oliver, Leader of the Labour Group, Bedford Council

Cllr Chris Ball, Leader of the Labour Group,           Bexley Council

Cllr Sir Albert Bore, Leader of the Council, Birmingham City Council

Cllr Kate Hollern, Leader of the Council, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

Cllr Simon Blackburn, Leader of the Council, Blackpool Council

Cllr Eion Watts, Leader of the Council, Bolsover District Council

Cllr Clifford Morris JP, Leader of the Council, Bolton Council

Cllr David Green, Leader of the Council, Bradford Metropolitan District Council

Cllr Philip Barlow, Leader of the Labour Group, Braintree District Council

Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of the Council, Brent Council

Cllr Mike Le-Surf, Leader of the Labour Group, Brentwood Borough Council

Cllr Gill Mitchell, Leader of the Labour Group , Brighton & Hove City Council

Cllr Helen Holland, Leader of the Labour Group, Bristol City Council

Cllr Julie Cooper, Leader of the Council, Burnley Borough Council

Cllr Mike Connolly, Leader of the Council, Bury Metropolitan Borough Council

Cllr Timothy Swift, Leader of the Council, Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council

Cllr Lewis Herbert, Leader of the Labour Group, Cambridge City Council

Cllr Sarah Hayward,         Leader of the Council,    Camden Council

Cllr George Adamson, Leader of the Council, Cannock Chase District Council

Cllr Jewel Miah, Leader of the Labour Group, Charnwood Borough Council

Cllr Justin Madders, Leader of the Labour Group, Cheshire West and Chester Council

Cllr John Burrows, Leader of the Council, Chesterfield Borough Council

Cllr Alistair Bradley, Leader of the Council,            Chorley Borough Council

Cllr James Alexander, Leader of the Council, City of York Council

Cllr Tim Young, Leader of the Labour Group, Colchester Borough Council

Cllr Elaine Woodburn, Leader of the Council, Copeland Borough Council

Cllr Tom Beattie, Leader of the Council, Corby Borough Council

Cllr John Mutton, Leader of the Council, Coventry City Council

Cllr Tony Newman, Leader of the Labour Group, Croydon Council

Cllr Stewart Young, Leader of the Labour Group, Cumbria County Council

Cllr Bill Dixon MBE,           Leader of the Council, Darlington Borough Council

Cllr Mrs Joan Butterfield OBE, Leader of the Labour Group, Denbighshire Council

Cllr Paul Bayliss, Leader of the Council, Derby City Council

Cllr Anne Western, Leader of the Labour Group, Derbyshire County Council

Cllr David Sparks OBE, Leader of the Council, Dudley Council

Cllr Simon Henig, Leader of the Council, Durham County Council

Cllr Julian Bell, Leader of the Council, Ealing Council

Cllr Trevor Webb, Leader of the Labour Group, East Sussex County Council

Cllr Sheila Carlson, Leader of the Labour Group, Epsom and Ewell Borough Council

Cllr Doug Taylor, Leader of the Council, Enfield Council

Cllr Julie Young, Leader of the Labour Group, Essex County Council

Cllr Mick Henry CBE, Leader of the Council, Gateshead Council

Cllr John Clarke, Leader of the Council, Gedling Borough Council

Cllr Kate Haigh, Leader of the Labour Group, Gloucester City Council

Cllr Trevor Wainwright, Leader of the Council, Great Yarmouth Borough Council

Cllr Brian Jones, Leader of the Labour Group, Gwynedd Council

Mayor Jules Pipe, Executive Mayor, Hackney London Borough Council

Cllr Rob Polhill, Leader of the Council, Halton Council

Cllr Claire Kober, Leader of the Council, Haringey Council

Cllr Thaya Idaikkadar , Leader of the Council, Harrow Council

Cllr Christopher Akers-Belcher, Leader of the Labour Group, Hartlepool Council

Cllr Jeremy Birch, Leader of the Council, Hastings Borough Council

Cllr Caitlin Bisknell, Leader of the Council,             High Peak Borough Council

Cllr Jagdish Sharma MBE JP,  Leader of the Council, Hounslow Borough Council

Cllr Miles Parkinson, Leader of the Council, Hyndburn Borough Council

Cllr David Ellesmere, Leader of the Council, Ipswich Borough Council

Cllr Geoff Lumley, Leader of the Labour Group, Isle of Wight Council

Cllr Catherine West, Leader of the Council, Islington Council

Cllr Judith Blakeman, Leader of the Labour Group,           Kensington and Chelsea Council

Cllr Mehboob Khan, Leader of the Council, Kirklees Metropolitan Council

Cllr Lib Peck, Leader of the Council, Lambeth Council

Cllr Mrs Eileen Blamire, Leader of the Council, Lancaster City Council

Sir Peter Soulsby, Executive Mayor, Leicester City Council

Mayor Sir Steve Bullock, Executive Mayor,           Lewisham London Borough Council

Cllr Richard Metcalfe, Leader of the Council, Lincoln City Council

Mayor Joe Anderson OBE, Executive Mayor, Liverpool City Council

Cllr Hazel Simmons, Leader of the Council, Luton Borough Council

Sir Richard Leese CBE, Leader of the Council, Manchester City Council

Cllr Vince Maple, Leader of the Labour Group, Medway Council

Cllr Stephen Alambritis, Leader of Merton

Cllr Charles Rooney, Leader of the Labour Group, Middlesbrough Council

Cllr Nick Forbes, Leader of the Council, Newcastle upon Tyne City Council

Cllr Gareth Snell, Leader of the Council, Newcastle-under-Lyme  Council

Sir Robin Wales, Executive Mayor, Newham London Borough Council

Cllr Bob Bright, Leader of the Council, Newport City Council

Cllr Graham Baxter MBE, Leader of the Council, North East Derbyshire Council

Cllr Jim Allan, Leader of the Labour Group, North Tyneside Council

Cllr John McGhee, Leader of the Labour Group, Northamptonshire County Council

Cllr Grant Davey, Leader of the Labour Group, Northumberland Council

Cllr Brenda Arthur, Leader of the Council, Norwich City Council

Cllr Alan Rhodes, Leader of the Labour Group, Nottinghamshire County Council

Cllr Dennis Harvey, Leader of the Council, Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council

Cllr Jim McMahon, Leader of the Council, Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council

Cllr Lady Liz Brighouse OBE, Leader of the Labour Group , Oxfordshire Council

Cllr Nazim Khan MBE, Leader of the Labour Group, Peterborough City Council

Cllr Tudor Evans, Leader of the Council, Plymouth City Council

Cllr Jim Patey,  Leader of the Labour Group, Portsmouth City Council

Cllr Mrs Sandra Davies, Leader of the Labour Group, Powys County Council

Cllr Peter Rankin, Leader of the Council, Preston City Council

Cllr Jo Lovelock, Leader of the Council, Reading Borough Council

Cllr Colin Lambert, Leader of the Council, Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council

Cllr Sam Souster, Leader of the Labour Group, Rother District Council

Cllr Chris Roberts, Leader of the Council, Royal Borough of Greenwich

Cllr Dr James Shera MBE, Leader of the Labour Group, Rugby Borough Council

Cllr Keith Dibble, Leader of the Labour Group, Rushmoor Borough Council

Mayor Ian Stewart, Executive Mayor, Salford Council

Cllr Darren Cooper, Leader of the Council, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Cllr Eric Broadbent, Leader of the Labour Group, Scarborough Borough Council

Cllr Mick Lerry, Leader of the Labour Group, Sedgemoor District Council

Cllr Peter Dowd, Leader of the Council, Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council

Cllr Steve Shaw-Wright, Leader of the Labour Group, Selby District Council

Cllr Julie Dore     , Leader of the Council, Sheffield City Council

Cllr Alan Mosley, Leader of the Labour Group, Shropshire Council

Cllr Andy Perkins, Leader, Labour Group, South Gloucestershire Council

Cllr Mark Wilson, Leader of the Labour Group, South Lakeland

Cllr Mrs Eleanor Hards, Leader of the Labour Group, South Oxfordshire Council

Cllr Iain Malcolm, Leader of the Council, South Tyneside Council

Cllr Richard Williams, Leader of the Council, Southampton City Council

Cllr Peter John, Leader of the Council, Southwark Council

Cllr Martin Leach, Leader of the Labour Group, St Albans Council

Cllr Marie Rimmer CBE, Leader of the Council, St Helens Metropolitan Council

Cllr William Kemp, Leader of the Labour Group, Stafford Borough Council

Cllr Kevin Jackson, Leader of the Labour Group, Staffordshire Moorlands  Council

Cllr Sharon Taylor OBE, Leader of the Council, Stevenage Borough Council

Cllr Mohammed Pervez, Leader of the Council, Stoke-on-Trent City Council

Cllr Sandy Martin, Leader of the Labour Group, Suffolk County Council

Cllr Paul Watson, Leader of the Council, Sunderland City Council

Cllr Victor Agarwal, Leader of the Labour Group ,Surrey

Cllr David Phillips, Leader of the Council, Swansea City and County Council

Cllr Jim Grant, Leader of the Labour Group,         Swindon Borough Council

Cllr Kieran Quinn, Leader of the Council, Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council

Cllr Stephen King, Leader of the Labour Group, Three Rivers District Council

Cllr John Kent, Leader of the Council, Thurrock Council

Cllr Peter Box CBE, Leader of the Council,    Wakefield Metropolitan District Council

Cllr Tim Oliver, Leader of the Labour Group, Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council

Cllr Chris Robbins, Leader of the Council, Waltham Forest London Borough Council

Cllr Rex Osborn, Leader of the Labour Group, Wandsworth London Borough Council

Cllr Terry O'Neill, Leader of the Council, Warrington Council

Cllr John Barrott, Leader of the Labour Group, Warwick District Council

Cllr Tod Sullivan, Leader of the Labour Group, Waveney District Council

Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg, Leader of the Labour Group, Westminster City Council

Cllr Kate Wheller, Leader of the Labour Group, Weymouth & Portland  Council

Lord Peter Smith, Leader of the Council, Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council

Cllr Ricky Rogers, Leader of the Labour Group, Wiltshire Council

Cllr Phillip Davies, Leader of the Council, Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council

Cllr Roger Lawrence,       Leader of the Council,    Wolverhampton City Council

I’m not saying the Mayor was being economical with the truth back then but ask the question - why she doesn’t say the council is almost bankrupt now even though she’s presided over a massive jump in Debt of £191m? You don’t have to be a consultant on £750 per day to answer that one.

A RESPONSE TO THE TORY BUDGET IN NORTH TYNESIDE

Under Linda Arkley, North Tyneside Council has become less honest. It has become less efficient and it has become unfair.

The Mayor will trumpet 0% council tax bribes from her government but she will stay silent on her record of massive increases in the cost of allotments, the cost of burial and cremation, the cost of swimming, the cost of exercise in our leisure centres, the increase cost of childcare, the unfair use of personal allowance budgets for vulnerable people to sneak through inflation busting rises to personal care. She’ll not mention her wholesale dismantling of entire services and anti-democratic decision to hive off £250m worth of council contracts to private sector providers who have only one aim – profit maximisation.

She’ll forget to tell the public about her over reliance on outside legal advice to the tune of £61,000 spent on providing her with ways to circumvent the will of this council.

She’ll forget to tell the residents of North Tyneside that under her 4 year reign, she has presided over the largest single increase in the use of consultants as decision makers rather than council officers.  

She’ll stay silent on her record of borrowing over £1m for every week of her 191 weeks in charge. Some people may remember that she was elected to ‘tackle the council debt’ and they will remember how she described the council as almost ‘bankrupt’ in 2009.

I’m not saying the Mayor was being economical with the truth back then but ask the question - why she doesn’t say the council is almost bankrupt now even though she’s presided over a massive jump in Debt of £191m? You don’t have to be a consultant on £750 per day to answer that one.  

This council has been hollowed out while the rest of the borough has to deal with a triple dip recession, rising household costs, rising costs of council services, from the incompetence of the bin tax to the doubling of fees and charges.  

When Linda Arkley’s party, the Tories claim the nation has ‘maxed out its credit card’, then what has the Tories done to North Tyneside.

4 Years of wasted opportunities, all spin and no substance.

4 Years of reckless decisions from the hiring of her own personal party political spin doctor to her own personal barrister giving her advice on tap, at a cost of £61,000 to the poor tax payer.

This budget is a desperate budget – a desperate sleight of hand to try and convince the public of the Borough that 4 years haven’t been wasted.

The truth is the Mayor has failed the test she set herself – she said she would tackle the council debt and under her it’s risen by a whopping £191m.1m for every week in power and a million reasons every week why North Tyneside can’t afford another 5 years of the Mayor and her discredited party.

North Tyneside Councillor Norma Redfearn, Labour’s candidate for elected Mayor, has today revealed National Housing Federation (NHF) figures which show 2,240 residents in North Tyneside will be hit by the Tory–led government’s ‘Bedroom Tax’, losing on average £728 per year.

LABOUR REVEALS 2240 HIT BY BEDROOM TAX IN NORTH TYNESIDE

North Tyneside Councillor Norma Redfearn, Labour’s candidate for elected Mayor, has today revealed National Housing Federation (NHF) figures which show 2,240 residents in North Tyneside will be hit by the Tory–led government’s ‘Bedroom Tax’, losing on average £728 per year.

Nationally, the Bedroom Tax will hit 660,000 households, two thirds of them home to someone with a disability, at exactly the same time as the government gives a massive £100,000 tax cut to 13,000 millionaires.

Norma Redfearn, Labour’s candidate for Mayor of North Tyneside said:

"David Cameron’s Bedroom Tax will hammer families in North Tyneside already struggling to make ends meet, and could actually risk costing local tax-payers a fortune in higher private rents and covering the cost of driving people out of their homes.

Two thirds of the households hit are home to someone with a disability, and the families of soldiers and foster parents will also be hit. Yet at the same time prisoners get off and millionaires are getting a massive tax cut. How can that be right? And how can our Tory Mayor justify the actions of her government? This is a huge issue that is causing widespread concern."

Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Liam Byrne said:

"David Cameron's April tax plan is simply not fair. From next month, 13,000 millionaires are getting a tax cut worth £100,000 a year on average while over 600,000 armed forces families, disabled people and foster carers have to find £728 a year to pay a new bedroom tax.

"Yet the plan is such a shambles that someone who's been to prison on a short sentence won't have to pay. How unfair is that? Millionaires and prisoners are looked after but vulnerable people, carers and armed forces families get hit. Labour plans relentless pressure on this out of touch government until Ministers see sense, admit this policy is totally unfair and think again."

Under Linda Arkley, North Tyneside Council has become less honest. It has become less efficient and it has become unfair.

·        As we said at the last meeting when we agreed our objection the budget should be reconsidered by the Mayor and her Cabinet. The reasons we expressed were contained within the Labour Groups written statement and within the comments made by members of my Group. Unfortunately, the Conservative Cabinet and their Group left the meeting so they were not available to answer the remaining questions as part of the Budget and Policy Framework process as laid down in the Council’s Constitution. We were expecting the response from the Cabinet as a result of their considerations at the special cabinet meeting held yesterday. We have become accustomed to being ignored and it clearly reflects badly on the Mayor when you reflect on her early comments in a 2009 edition of the widening horizons where she is quoted as saying –

“I will be a Mayor for the many, not for the few. That means understanding and addressing everyone’s concerns and developing a closer working relationship with other political parties and their councillors.”

      Widening Horizons, 2009

We expected very little consideration of what we have outlined as our concerns and views on how the budget proposals will impact a great many residents of all ages and in particular where there are budget items that are not very clear in how they will be delivered or even implemented quickly enough to enable them to be achieved. There are serious risks contained within the Mayor and her Cabinet’s proposals, and a lot of uncertainty amongst the individual Cabinet members who appear to be unable to explain or present their proposals to enable a simple understanding of what the real measures and targets are.

CEI – the Labour Group knows that the proposal to place the responsibility of finding the £20m shortfall onto the CEI programme, is simply passing the problem to one side, with no clear intent or plan to start managing the problem at an early stage demonstrates a lack of acceptance of political leadership and responsibility.

We have seen in the Mayor and Cabinet proposals a twelve month Budget along with a two year financial plan that shows an £20m gap in the council’s budget in the second year of the financial plan!!

The Cabinet have not planned or highlighted the financial plight that is fast approaching. The problem is a combination of a reduction in funding and also the pressure of the demand on council resources. To allow this situation to happen without any preparation is not the way to run a business and any business would be implementing mitigation plans well in advance to avoid a financial crisis. A financial Black Hole!!

The Labour Group believes, that in pursuing the issue of the massive central government cuts through cost cutting without regard to a council plan for the next five years  places the Cabinets many miles away from the needs of the people of North Tyneside.

For example we are concerned with

·       Massive Outsourcing and the consequential loss of control of vital council services, and leaving the council exposed to private company changes.

·       We believe there should be a root and branch review to ensure the remaining council services and support services accurately reflect the new role required for a modern council.

·       The use of the consultants is costing £1.45m in 2012/13 so far.  We believe that a fundamental review of the need for such a large element of consultancy reflects badly on the knowledge and the experience of the Council’s own workforce.  This should be reviewed and consultants only used where there is a demonstrable and short term need for external expertise.

·       We believe that a fundamental review for a large requirement of agency staff could be better handled by a programme of retraining and redeploying existing staff.  Service areas that are finding difficulty to recruit should be reviewed to determine why there is a large turnover in those service areas.

·       A modern council should not be reliant on increasing fees and charges to generate income.  We believe that the increases are having a detrimental impact on individual in the highest need areas and also those residents that are just above the benefits level, are amongst the most detrimentally impacted by these actions. The threatened closure of libraries included within the cabinets budget just adds to their problems.

·       The Welfare Reforms will have a detrimental effect on the most vulnerable residents in our borough.  We believe the cuts in support services will add to the pressure on these individuals and should be reviewed and action plans put in place to address some of the individual cases.

·       The transfer of Public Health responsibilities to the Council should have been used to increase the Council’s contribution to the overall health and well-being of the residents of our borough.  The use of the additional grant to support existing services should be reviewed to allow those intended additional services to be provided.

·       We are concerned that the capital plan, again, does not reflect the greater need of the borough.  The capital plan is closely linked to the borrowing and investment strategy and this is an area that needs urgent review and control.  The spiralling capital financing requirement, (which is debt), is continuing to grow and there are no obvious plans to reduce the amount which will stand at over £603m at 31 March 2014.

We call upon the incoming Cabinet, after the Mayoral election, to immediately start the process to readdress the budget to reflect the needs of the residents of North Tyneside and to formulate medium and long term financial policies and plans to address the oncoming financial blackhole.

Under Linda Arkley, North Tyneside Council has become less honest. It has become less efficient and it has become unfair.

The Mayor will trumpet 0% council tax bribes from her government but she will stay silent on her record of massive increases in the cost of allotments, the cost of burial and cremation, the cost of swimming, the cost of exercise in our leisure centres, the increase cost of childcare, the unfair use of personal allowance budgets for vulnerable people to sneak through inflation busting rises to personal care. She’ll not mention her wholesale dismantling of entire services and anti-democratic decision to hive off £250m worth of council contracts to private sector providers who have only one aim – profit maximisation.

She’ll forget to tell the public about her over reliance on outside legal advice to the tune of £61,000 spent on providing her with ways to circumvent the will of this council.

She’ll forget to tell the residents of North Tyneside that under her 4 year reign, she has presided over the largest single increase in the use of consultants as decision makers rather than council officers.  

She’ll stay silent on her record of borrowing over £1m for every week of her 191 weeks in charge. Some people may remember that she was elected to ‘tackle the council debt’ and they will remember how she described the council as almost ‘bankrupt’ in 2009.

I’m not saying the Mayor was being economical with the truth back then but ask the question - why she doesn’t say the council is almost bankrupt now even though she’s presided over a massive jump in Debt of £191m? You don’t have to be a consultant on £750 per day to answer that one.  

This council has been hollowed out while the rest of the borough has to deal with a triple dip recession, rising household costs, rising costs of council services, from the incompetence of the bin tax to the doubling of fees and charges.  

When Linda Arkley’s party, the Tories claim the nation has ‘maxed out its credit card’, then what has the Tories done to North Tyneside.

4 Years of wasted opportunities, all spin and no substance.

4 Years of reckless decisions from the hiring of her own personal party political spin doctor to her own personal barrister giving her advice on tap, at a cost of £61,000 to the poor tax payer.

This budget is a desperate budget – a desperate sleight of hand to try and convince the public of the Borough that 4 years haven’t been wasted.

The truth is the Mayor has failed the test she set herself – she said she would tackle the council debt and under her it’s risen by a whopping £191m.

£1m for every week in power and a million reasons every week why North Tyneside can’t afford another 5 years of the Mayor and her discredited party.

North Tyneside Councillor Norma Redfearn, Labour’s candidate for elected Mayor, has today revealed National Housing Federation (NHF) figures which show 2,240 residents in North Tyneside will be hit by the Tory–led government’s ‘Bedroom Tax’, losing on average £728 per year.

Labour reveals 2240 hit by Bedroom Tax in North Tyneside

North Tyneside Councillor Norma Redfearn, Labour’s candidate for elected Mayor, has today revealed National Housing Federation (NHF) figures which show 2,240 residents in North Tyneside will be hit by the Tory–led government’s ‘Bedroom Tax’, losing on average £728 per year.

Nationally, the Bedroom Tax will hit 660,000 households, two thirds of them home to someone with a disability, at exactly the same time as the government gives a massive £100,000 tax cut to 13,000 millionaires.

Norma Redfearn, Labour’s candidate for Mayor of North Tyneside said:

“David Cameron’s Bedroom Tax will hammer families in North Tyneside already struggling to make ends meet, and could actually risk costing local tax-payers a fortune in higher private rents and covering the cost of driving people out of their homes.

Two thirds of the households hit are home to someone with a disability, and the families of soldiers and foster parents will also be hit. Yet at the same time prisoners get off and millionaires are getting a massive tax cut. How can that be right? And how can our Tory Mayor justify the actions of her government? This is a huge issue that is causing widespread concern.”

Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Liam Byrne said:

“David Cameron's April tax plan is simply not fair. From next month, 13,000 millionaires are getting a tax cut worth £100,000 a year on average while over 600,000 armed forces families, disabled people and foster carers have to find £728 a year to pay a new bedroom tax.

“Yet the plan is such a shambles that someone who's been to prison on a short sentence won't have to pay. How unfair is that? Millionaires and prisoners are looked after but vulnerable people, carers and armed forces families get hit. Labour plans relentless pressure on this out of touch government until Ministers see sense, admit this policy is totally unfair and think again.”

The next Council Meeting in North Tyneside is this Tuesday 5th March where it will be interesting to see if Mayor Arkley will attend after her recent verbal outburst on a labour councillor. The meeting witnessed the outburst and the Chair had to suspend the meeting as the Mayor refused to sit down and stop shouting.

The next Council Meeting in North Tyneside is this Tuesday 5^th March where it will be interesting to see if Mayor Arkley will attend after her recent verbal outburst on a labour councillor. The meeting witnessed the outburst and the Chair had to suspend the meeting as the Mayor refused to sit down and stop shouting.

Further the Mayor then refused to apologise to the full council and was then excluded from the meeting as a result of her behaviour.

This coming meeting will see if she does attend, whether she will make an apology to the full council or whether she will continue with her reaction and behaviour.

Cllr Jim Allan said “ it will be an interesting meeting and one where the Mayor will be expected to be there to respond to the budget objections and debate the issues.

However, if the meeting reverts to the issues at the last meeting then we will be negating our responsibilities as elected members to represent the people of North

Tyneside and deal with a very difficult financial future for the council.

I hope the Mayor and her cabinet do attend and face the financial issues and listen to what the other parties have got to say!”