Government cuts going 'too far, too fast and too hard' - Caroline Flint

In her first major address since her shadow cabinet appointment, Caroline Flint MP, shadow communities minister, told council leaders and MPs that measures taken by the Government to reduce the deficit were going "too far, too fast and too hard".

She was speaking at an event outside London backing the launch of a report by the cross-party Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities (SIGOMA) calling for the Government not to disproportionately cut under-funded councils.

She said: “We understand that we need to tackle the deficit but this Government is going too far, too fast and too hard. 

"It is not just about the public sector; cuts of this level will hurt the voluntary sector and cause job losses in the private sector.”

The report calls for a fair approach to public sector cuts. Specifically it highlights how the economic downturn has had an uneven effect across England as areas that have consistently been under-funded are likely to suffer most from the spending cuts that have been announced and those that will be announced next week.  

SIGOMA’s report finds that whilst there is recognition of the need to reduce public spending, cuts should take into account the long-term funding imbalance between councils in London and the South East and those in the rest of England. 

Cllr Stephen Houghton, Chair of SIGOMA and Leader of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council said “It is important that the cuts are fair and balanced and account for the needs of each community. By tackling the deficit in this way the Government will hit the poorest hardest. 

"SIGOMA member councils are some of the most deprived in England with the highest unemployment rates and a reliance on the public sector, the Government must understand the impact that cutting councils across the board will have. Our report calls on the Government to acknowledge that cuts must take into account some councils current funding shortfall and their levels of deprivation.”  

Dave Watts MP, MP for St Helens and Chair of the SIGOMA Parliamentary Group said: “As a cross-party group we suspect that our constituencies, which include some of the most vulnerable in England, are likely to be hardest hit in next week’s Spending Review.

"Whilst we recognise the need to reduce public spending, the cuts should take into account the fact that many councils have been under-funded and are effectively already having to cut services while others have been receiving more than their needs indicate are necessary.”