Tory budget cuts to the vulnerable must be challenged

Jill Wareham, Liberal Democrat Prospective MP for the Isle of Wight, is calling for an immediate review on the effects of the Tory budget cuts on the most vulnerable in our community.

At a packed meeting of users of the Riverside Centre last Saturday (13 March 2010) Jill called for her colleague Councillors to "take the issue to the Council's Scrutiny Committee to monitor what impact the Tory budget cuts will have on the people using these facilities.

"The Council has to be challenged on its Equality Impact Assessments (EIA). These should show how their cuts will impact on people who use the services. The EIAs in the Tory's budget papers are so brief they are derisory. This is backed up by the users of the services who say they have not been consulted.

"Action must be taken to stop the Council making these cuts to vulnerable people. Choices can be made when reducing budgets. Wouldn't money have been better spent on supporting vulnerable people than on a 'design champion for the Island' costing £50,000?

"Notably there were no Conservative Councillors present. Three Liberal Democrat Councillors Barry, Howe, Knowles along with two Independent and the Labour colleagues attended. I asked them to take action through the Scrutiny Committee which they have agreed to do. We cannot allow these cuts to go through unchallenged."