A ROW has broken out over why children’s services bore the brunt of council cuts, after £2.6 million worth of savings across the authority were approved by councillors.
The cuts, imposed after a reduction in funding from central Government, mean that the council's children and young people's department must save £1.7million this year, with adult services missing out on nearly £200,000.
All 31 Labour councillors who attended the meeting last Thursday approved the proposals, with 19 Conservatives and Liberal Democrats voting against. Ten councillors were absent.
But in the aftermath of the vote, the Tories have accused the Labour leadership of imposing large cuts on children’s services to make the Government “look bad”.
Council leader Cllr Chris Robins previously said the money was ring-fenced and the authority had no choice over what to cut.
But a spokesman for the Department for Communities and Local Government said that while money was ring-fenced, restrictions on other grants had been lifted, giving councils flexibility over where to make savings.
A Government source also told the Guardian it was "disingenuous" for the council to claim it had no choice in cutting money to children's services.
Tory group leader Matt Davis said: "That level of saving is easily achievable elsewhere, it doesn't have to come in children and young people's services.
"This has been done for party political reasons because the Labour leadership want to make the Government look bad."
But council leader Chris Robbins insisted there was little room for manoeuvre and claimed the coalition Government was trying to undermine local authorities.
Speaking about the cuts and the decision to axe the Building Schools for the Future programme, Cllr Robbins previously told the Guardian: ”It is wrong to cut funding in these areas. Youth services are very important to us.
“It would be foolish not to accept that the country has issues with its finances but we don't believe that the Government are putting their priorities in the right direction.
“My concern is that, long term, local government will be left to wither on the vine and people will be forced into the private sector to find their services.”
The new left wing Anti-Cuts Alliance lobbied councillors outside the Town Hall, calling on them to reject the emergency budget.
Nancy Taafe, of the Socialist Party, spoke during the meeting and said the most vulnerable members of society should not have to pay for the failings of big business.
She said: “We completely disagree with the first wave of cuts, which seem particularly targeted at children and families.
“Tonight Unison, socialists and local activists would like to argue that these cuts potentially usher in many more terrible tragedies such as that of Baby P."
A motion has been passed by the Waltham Forest branch of Unison to support any workers affected by the cuts who wish to take strike action.
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