Hull Lib Dem cuts hit the weakest hardest

Hull North MP Diana Johnson has attacked the Lib Dem cuts budget forced through Hull City Council this evening in the face of Labour opposition.

The Lib Dem budget will see huge cuts to day centres, children's services such as Sure Start and major damage to a broad range of Council and voluntary sector services in Hull.

Hull North's Labour MP attended the lobby outside Hull's Guildhall this afternoon as councillors met to set their budget for 2011/12.

Speaking after Lib Dem councillors voted through their cuts budget, Diana Johnson MP said: "Hull's Labour Opposition, Council staff and others fought hard to protect local services today from saving that go too deep and too fast, but these frontline cuts pushed through by Lib Dem councillors will hit the weakest people the hardest.

"With the private and voluntary sectors in no position to replace the jobs and services that are being cut, and 33 people already chasing each job in Hull North, this is a blow to Hull's local economy.

"The quality of life will suffer too, from the pot-holed roads to cuts in leisure services.

"When we have a Tory-led Government that not only makes dogma-driven cuts to public services, but targets them at the most vulnerable people with the greatest needs in the most deprived areas, we need a Council that sticks up for Hull. Instead this Lib Dem regime is Whitehall's voice in the Guildhall.

"Lib Dems still propose lavishing tax-payers' money on some bizarre priorities. While closing day centres, £200,000 is still available for the Freedom Festival. This is the same amount they wanted to waste on plastic model toads a year ago - until Labour protested.

"Lib Dems regularly condemned the previous Labour Government for not spending enough. Now, despite their Leader's synthetic anger about Eric Pickles, Hull Lib Dems force through cuts that hit the youngest to the oldest, and stunt life opportunities for the many.

"These are cuts are more severe than those of the 1980s all in return for Nick Clegg's seat in the Cabinet."

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