IMPROVING BASIC SERVICES: CITY LIB DEMS' AIM IN COUNCIL BUDGET

Re-building the basic council services that Labour has cut is the theme of budget proposals from Opposition Liberal Democrat City Councillors in Cambridge which have been published today. 

At Cambridge City Council’s budget meeting on Thursday (26th Feb), the Lib Dems will invite councillors to support the re-opening of Parker’s Piece public toilets which were closed last year. They will introduce contactless card reader access, recognising that many people no longer carry the right coins; applying the same technology to the Quayside public toilets which Labour has already been forced to restore after a public outcry. This will help to make both facilities more financially sustainable.  

They plan a new operational shift within the Streets & Open Spaces team, which was cutback by 20% last year. This will fill gaps that were left in keeping the busy city centre cleaned until 7pm and carrying out on-demand and programmed work such as street bin cleaning, gum and graffiti removal across the city. 

And the Lib Dems propose to restore the 30% cutback in Public Realm Enforcement officers, which has effectively wiped out proactive patrols across the city. The officers deter and tackle infringements of the city’s regulations around littering, fly tipping, dog control, and pavement obstructions. 

The Lib Dems say that Labour’s maintenance of council housing has shown the same lack of priority for the basic living conditions of its tenants which include many of the city’s most vulnerable residents. They have brought forward plans to remedy this each year for many years, only to have them rejected by Labour as ‘unnecessary’. They say that Labour’s sudden intention to tackle this now acknowledges their own neglect and that tenants have suffered needlessly.

The Lib Dems’ proposals will be partly funded by reversing Labour’s increase in councillor allowances last year, which saw their leader get an increase of 55%. The remainder is funded by ensuring car parking charges stay in step with inflation. 

Lib Dem Finance spokesperson Cllr Jamie Dalzell commented: 
“Even in challenging times, a council does not have to break the bank to respect its residents’ priorities. It simply has to listen to them – and to order its affairs with their interests, rather than their own, coming first.”

Lib Dem Group Leader Cllr Tim Bick said: 
“Like many people in Cambridge, we’ve been learning who Labour really are. Last year, amid staff redundancies, they cut basic public services while increasing their Leader’s pay by 55%. What has suffered is keeping the city clean, which residents regard as a priority. Over several years, they turned their backs on their council tenants until finally they’ve been legally forced to act. This is all of a piece with being the only Cambridge party refusing to support the Lib Dem proposals to increase funding for road maintenance that we saw last week at the county council – another basic service that is a priority for residents and in dire need of investment. There is disappointment everywhere. As U-turns are never far away, we hope they will support our plan to repair some of the damage at the city council this week.”