Liberal Democrat Cllr Ian Shires and local activist Carol Fletcher have continued to question Labour’s commitment to local communities following the recent budget cuts to the service cobbled together in an unholy alliance between Labour and the Tories.

Time and again Ian has reminded Labour’s Cabinet member for Communities that the council’s objective was for devolution through area partnerships, to create and sustain a vibrant voluntary and community sector.

In particular Ian has said that according to recent reports the voluntary sector would be further developed. The council says it would address anti-social behaviour through more integrated work with partners including the Police, trade associations and the voluntary sector. How does the Labour intend to achieve these objectives when the budget shows that they intend to strip out seven key jobs which provide help and support to the borough’s six Area Partnerships?

At the same time Labour are proposing to remove the building maintenance budgets which support the eight community associations which operate from council owned buildings and also reduce grant support to the voluntary sector by 50%!

Labour’s answer is predictable; it is all someone else’s fault they had to make these cuts. Ian reminded Labour that it was they who had wanted to take control of Walsall Council. It was they who had called the special meeting back in August which gave them control and that they had promised the people of Walsall that they would do things differently. Yet here they were, stripping out the very support lines that the voluntary sector needed to strengthen it so that it would be able to take on the services that the council will not be able to provide no matter which party wins the General Election in May.

“My question is simple enough” said Ian. “You obviously don’t like the current system of Area Partnerships. Your budget proposals make that abundantly clear. What do you propose to do differently?” Labour’s answer? “We are working on proposals that would be ready in three months time.”

In the meantime the future of the voluntary sector hangs in the balance whilst behind closed doors Walsall’s Labour Cabinet cobbles together a rushed plan. Carol said “If this is Labour doing things differently, then it’s clear to me that they don’t know the meaning of the word. They are making policy on the hoof”.