Guest blog: Liverpool Labour deputy leader Paul Brant explains the party's budget proposals
The opposition Labour budget delivered on our pledges to minimise council tax, create more homes, stimulate local jobs and protect communities.
Council tax was frozen as hard pressed families are facing difficult economic times. However, this is the last of a generous three year Government settlement and we all wait to see what Government figures allow us to do next year.
Labour created a ã1m fund for regeneration through construction of new affordable homes in the City. Too many areas of the city suffer from dereliction and boarded up properties. We can make a start tackling this blight and to create much needed construction jobs for local people by this fund kick starting projects.
Business led regeneration in the city would be supported by our Budget which fully funded Liverpool Vision. We believe that the Lib Dem cuts to staffing are a mistake and will reduce inward investment and employment growth in the longer term.
The waiting list for housing in the city has more than doubled to almost 23,000 in the last few years, the new homes created are desperately needed by many people and families under pressure. The city has been loosing 600 people a year and it is main reason why the city's finances are predicted to go into the red. During the budget debate the Lib Dems criticised residents as 'slaves to social housing'. We disagree, the new homes meet a pressing social and financial need.
Apprenticeships are a valuable way of training young people and we created 100 new funded positions. The council is the largest employer in the city and it should play it's part in skilling our workforce and preventing the blight of youth unemployment. During the budget debate the council leader rubbished apprenticeships, but we believe they are can be life changing.
Cleaner greener streets are our priority for us and we found the money to clean an additional 1000 grot spots in the City and to increase winter gritting supplies to avoid a repeat of this years chaos.
The voluntary sector serves some of the most vulnerable people, such as the elderly and disabled and Labour's budget rejecected the proposed unallocated ã250,000 cuts to this sector. The extra money levered into the city from Europe and national bodies would be lost by this cut and much needed services put at risk.
In tight times we believe that the savings also have to be made. We did cut the pay bonuses for senior council staff and removed extra payments currently made to a layer of councillors known as Assistant Executive Members. The listed building retreat of Burton Manor can also no longer be afforded.
I believe that our budget offered a positive vision of what can be achieved in a difficult time. The Budget showed how we will tackle worklessness in the city, stimulate local businesses and offer cleaner streets. It will be for the people of Liverpool to decide if they agree.
Paul Brant is the deputy leader of the Liverpool Labour party. He is also the party's spokesman on finance. Labour's proposals were defeated at the council's budget setting meeting last week.
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David Bartlett
City editor of the Post and Echo covering politics, regeneration, and urban affairs.
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Does Cllr Brant think we're as mad as Labour, ã1m for housing will build 20 houses if we're lucky. Get real Cllr Brant and dont teach us like fools.
Come on, Mr Blythe. You don't know what Joe Anderson & his team are planning. Let's hope they're working closely with the national homeless agency. Go take a look. Pop along to Google Images, and type in "Anderson Shelter". There, for ã1 million, I think you'll agree the housing crisis can be solved.
But what if that ã1million was divided up into ã10,000 chunks as an incentive to house builders to help them get projects started? With added help from the council's planning team?
That'd be 100 houses.
You're being pretty narrow about this Chris. But then you expect nothing less from a Liberal Democrat.
The real scandal of LibDem housing policy in this city is that, after ten years of utter indifference to the plight of the homeless, the LibDems are now responsible for creating a housing waiting list of 22,000. That's 5% of Liverpool's population. Instead of developing a strategy by supporting affordable housing, the LibDems have given free rein to spivs, speculators & developers to throw up ugly blocks flats that ordinary people and families cannot afford. So we end up with a city in which 22,000 want housing but can't get it; while thousands of apartments lie empty. Truly a scandal.
The lib Dems can't take all the credit for rising housing waiting lists. The demolition and degrading of thousands of former terraced homes is a joint Labour Government Lib Dem Coucnil madness. Demolishing the homes of the low paid doesn't resolve poverty.
The new box houses are inferior in size and too many families forced into ã35,000 extra debt for a smaller home
T fight rising waiting lists and stop the demolitions Vote for Liberal Party Candidates