Hull MPs slam Council Leader's 'hypocrisy' on cuts

Hull Labour MPs have accused Hull City Council's Lib Dem Leader of hypocrisy and opportunism after he signed a letter on council cuts published in today's Times.

Speaking jointly with Hull East MP Karl Turner and Hull West and Hessle MP Alan Johnson, Hull North MP Diana Johnson said: "By backing this Lib Dem cry for help, Carl Minns' hypocrisy has descended to new levels of opportunism.

"Cllr Minns' own record wilts under scrutiny. The Times letter parrots the usual Coalition line that what it calls Labour Government 'runaway spending', rather than banker greed, caused the deficit. However, until May 2010 Cllr Minns had spent years complaining that Labour was not spending enough!

"It is true that the depth of these front-loaded Government cuts, combined with a funding shift away from deprived areas towards wealthier areas, means that efficiency savings alone would not protect the most vulnerable people from cuts. However, this is only happening due to Lib Dem support for this Government.

"The Times letter mentions efficiency savings that councils are making. In contrast, the Hull Lib Dem drive to save money in their 'Transformation Programme' actually lost tax-payers £1.1m!

"Hull City Council also has some perverse spending priorities, such as employing £900-a-day consultants. While closing day centres, Hull Lib Dems still want to spend £200,000 on the Freedom Festival.

"Hull City Council spent an average of £1,000 a month on flights over the past three years, including trips to San Francisco, Beijing and the Ivory Coast. And it was only Labour protests in March 2010 that shamed Cllr Minns into not spending £200,000 on plastic toads!

"As with Lib Dem promises on VAT, student tuition fees and police cuts, all made before the General Election in full knowledge of the deficit, local services in Hull are being traded for seats in Government.

"This attempt by Carl Minns to distance himself from the reality of the Government his party keeps in office should be seen as the cynical stunt that it is."

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