THE LEADER of Harlow Labour has slammed the budget decisions made by the Conservative-run Harlow Council.

Councillor Chris Vince said: “Let’s be clear. 

This is not a budget for growth it is a budget for survival 

£62.3m cut from this council finances by a Conservative government that just doesn’t care 

£1.5m of inflationary pressures caused by this hopeless Conservative government limping on despite everyone having had enough of them 

They say their reserves are healthy yet the unallocated reserves have fallen again, less than 10% now above the recommended minimum 

When don’t you call an overspend an overspend, when the Conservatives have a projected ‘budget deficit’ of six hundred and sixty six thousand pounds.   

They say that all the job cuts are roles which haven’t been filled for years yet I have a piece of paper showing three of the roles they’re cutting are currently filled and others which have only been made vacant in the last 6 months, it also shows we are also losing 4 apprentice positions.  We know that more staff in this council means a lesser service for the people of our town, I presume no one was brave enough to tell your local government minister about those apprenticeship cuts.

They tell us that cutting £120 000 won’t affect the current service for homeless provision in our town, although they can’t predict what the future looks like, with potentially more people becoming homeless as mortgages sore and private rents go through the roof.  Imagine how much more could be done with that money.

They tell us, and this is the worse bit, that they’re keeping rents below inflation.  They’re only doing that because inflation is at 10%!  That’s like scoring a goal and celebrating when you’ve already scored two own goals. 

This whole budget is an own goal.   

Honestly we can’t seriously sit here and celebrate this budget

It’s this council narrowly avoiding relegation on the last day of the season only to get relegated the next. 

“Something’s got to change”.