Labour in denial – council leader

LABOUR politicians in Warrington seem to be in denial about the state of the nation’s finances, according to borough council leader Ian Marks.
Speaking at a meeting of fellow councillors, he accused Labour of refusing to accept any responsibility for the “gigantic mess” their government had created.
He said: “They know perfectly well they would have had to make massive cuts and tax rises themselves if they had returned to power.
“At least the outgoing Chief Secretary to the Treasury had the honesty to leave a note for his successor saying: ‘I am afraid to say there is no money left.'”
Coun Marks (pictured) said the Coalition Government was determined to build a fairer Britain and create a strong economy.
He said: “Labour left the country heading for bankruptcy with the biggest budget deficit of the G20 group of wealthy nations.
“There was a £22,400 debt for every man, woman and child in Warrington. Tough action had to be taken in the budget to avoid the country going the way of Greece.
“The difficult task now is to steer a course between taking action necessary to restore confidence quickly but not doing too much so that it threatens the growth necessary for recovery.
“Here in Warrington our shared Administration with the Conservatives works extremely well. I am proud that we now form part of the national administration too. The Coalition Agreement contains 35 major policy proposals from our manifesto.
” Of course there will have to be compromises that we might be uneasy about but that is the whole point about a coalition between two parties. In the European Union only three countries have one party governments – 19 have coalitions and the rest minority governments.”
Coun Marks set the scene for the forthcoming budet setting process in Warrington.
He said: “Last year we identified a £30m gap in funding to be filled over three years and I am pleased to tell you we are on track to meeting this.
“But the savings we are required to make this year that have been announced so far and the possible savings from the Comprehensive Spending Review on October 20 mean that we may be looking for savings of up to £50m in total.
“This is a massive challenge on a net budget of just under £140m and means we will have to deliver services in a very different way than in the past. I am very confident that our administration is up to the task ahead.”