Turning Back the Clock to the 1970s Era of Tax and Spend Politics and Muted Opposition

The new Labour administration held its first belated cabinet meeting at County Hall this morning and within minutes declared that democratically elected councillors have fewer rights to challenge and shape policies at Derbyshire County Council than the general public has.  Cllr Anne Western, Labour Leader, stated that councillors have rights to ask questions in full Council, instead of at cabinet whilst simultaneously acknowledging that they were reviewing that right too.  It is clear that their pledge of a more open council has been broken again.

In recent years the Conservative administration undertook one of the most extensive consultations with young people in Derbyshire, with the largest numbers of young people ever participating in any similar exercise anywhere in the UK, gaining national plaudits for its extent and inclusive nature.  This established the New Youth Offer, which reformed the youth service to make it more accessible and designed around the needs of young people.  Labour today initiated yet another expensive youth service consultation to get the answers they want and is clearly designed around the needs of youth workers not young people – playing petty party politics with the choices of young people.  They will also pour another £250,000 into the youth service without understanding the impact of value for money for either the service or the taxpayer. They also halted the much needed reform of part-time youth work contracts, which was clearly needed to deliver services when and where young people need them.

These changes along with changes to the careers advice service will cost the local authority more money and, as yet they have not explained how they will meet their savings targets.  Already, what was a balanced budget within Children And Young Adults (CAYA) department cannot now be balanced anymore.

Leader of the Conservative group, Andrew Lewer said afterwards,

“The Deputy Leader of the Labour Party said we have to make difficult decisions, but the only decisions today were to spend money the local authority hasn’t got.”