Come the revolution.
Man the barricades before it is too late! We stand at a crossroads where we are poised to slide into a Walsall where the slogan will be ‘Survival of the fittest !’ ‘Let the market decide! ‘
The proposed cuts or more like amputations that are revealed in the budget proposals for Walsall to be passed without a wimper at full council on 24th February will hit at the very heart of this Borough.
6 libraries to be closed… without any doubt in the most disadvantaged parts of Walsall serving such wards as Pleck, Birchills Blakenall Palfrey Willenhall and Darlaston. However that has now changed with the promise of no closures this year.. amazing what a bit of fear of what will happen in the ballot box!
£100,000 off the music service plus a national cut of up to £850K which will end music support in Walsall apart from those in the more affluent areas who can afford to pay. Plus more cuts to the museum and art gallery.. so some of the reasons to live here in Walsall are getting crossed off the list as we move to being just an ordinary Town living in a cultural desert.
An end to Community transport service now to be mainly run by a private company.
A serious cut to current levels of support for social services support of over £7 million with imposition of charges of up to £89.35 a week . A direct attack on those most disadvantaged in Walsall.
Cuts of nearly £3 million in Leisure which will mean almost certainly as well as 6 libraries, all but 6 of swimming pools attached to schools will close and cuts to park maintenance and cover.
£600,000 off young services provision … no doubt more young people to be seen hanging about street corners. A requested cut of £2.5 million off the contract held by SERCO to deliver education in Walsall schools while we languish still very near the bottom of the league for education results in England.
When you cut £25 million off a budget at a stroke, the fall out for front line services will be major, especially for the disadvantaged fellow members of the human race in Walsall.
At the sharp end there will be many small community projects that will be closed. I note that the £12,000 yearly grant to the scouts to help pay for premises rental and training costs will cease which will mean some groups will close.
The problem for Walsall is that power rests with one individual almost alone… bit like in Egypt really … however the people there are showing what they think of him and people power after 18 days has got rid of him! See you in Liberation Square in Bridge Street, Walsall or maybe on the election trial. Although we have the luxury of a democratic process.. let us hope that especially the residents of Pheasey excercise their vote wisely.
Are those the six libraries that have been axed then ?
ReplyDeleteWe throw our support behind them
The list is an educated guess as these are in the highest cost per visitor list which is the way I am told it has been decided. There would have to be period of so called consultation , with decision already taken and then closure.
ReplyDeleteregards
Ian Robertson
Well Ian, a uturn or got them rattled eh ?
ReplyDeletehttp://pheaseylabour.blogspot.com/2011/02/tories-save-libraries-for-one-year-to.html