21 August 2010

Plymouth reels as Coalition Government cuts £1million a day from City's public coffers

Plymouth is suffering huge cuts to its income stream which amount to almost £1 million a day since the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats joined forces 100 days ago.

Withdrawal of Building Schools for the Future Fund, cuts to the SW regional Development Agency, a host of city council grants plus abandonment of funding streams to the Courts, the Police and University mean that the City is suffering more than many places because of the swinging cuts adopted by the Coalition government.

Labour's spokesperson Cllr Mark Lowry says that the worst is yet to come. "People must remember that these are the first round of cuts. More are to follow in the autumn with the Comprehensive Spending Assessment and the Strategic Defence Review."

Leader of the Opposition Cllr Tudor Evans said: "With Plymouth's economy more dependent on public expenditure than almost any other major city, it stands to reason that we must brace ourselves for a job loss storm. The Coalition seems to have no idea of just how deep and long lasting this policy will be on job prospects. One only has to recall how long it took the City to recover from the massive defence cuts in the mid-1980's."

"I know Alison Seabeck has already sprung to Plymouth's defence in Parliament. We've heard nothing from Gary Streeter and Oliver Colvile on these reckless spending cuts."