County Lib Dems question Tory cuts in Gloucestershire

5.53.00pm GMT Tue 15th Dec 2009

Up to £32 million is proposed to be cut from Gloucestershire County Council's budget next year, along with 200 job cuts. County Lib Dem leader Jeremy Hilton is concerned that the Tories whilst publicly hoping to protect vital services have less money to spend and debts to be paid.

Jeremy said:''The hidden cuts include no extra money for community safety services, the only money for children and young people is being recycled from grants already given to the council and the critical hidden cuts are the losses of frontline staff providing social services. The council is not telling people the true cost of its Building Our Future project in which over two million pounds of taxpayers money is being spent on consultants to plan the future of the council, and the cost savings will be made by redundancies of frontline staff. In the months we have got to question this budget, Liberal Democrat councillors will work to make sure the public social services, which elderly and vulnerable people need, are protected from cuts"