Budget battle for Labour’s values: elderly and vulnerable protected

Salford City Council will be asked to cut its budget by £24 million when it meets on Tuesday.
A series of announcements have been made Salford’s Cabinet members outlining what the cuts mean for the services they run.
One of the most controversial areas has been in adult services which provides care for the elderly and disabled as well as community facilities such as libraries. The budget has had to be cut by £6.5 million – almost 10%.
Lead member Cllr John Warmisham said: “Given that central services have been cut by 15%, we have seen the Cabinet prioritise our services. But our share of the cuts still means difficult decisions.
“I have been very clear that the Labour Party wants to protect the most vulnerable and that means maintaining standards of care.
“We are one of very few councils who still provide a comprehensive care system because we believe the people of Salford want the best standard of care for the elderly. Their values are our values.
“By protecting this service, there are 6,000 vulnerable adults in Salford who are receiving care that our opponents want to withdraw.”
Most of the cuts in that budget area have been made by moving libraries and other facilities into shared building and cutting grants to other bodies.
The Cabinet member responsible for culture, leisure and neighbourhoods, Cllr Paula Boshell, said: “We have made some of the biggest reductions in budgets but we have tried to maintain the basic facilities.
“Although we have had to reduce the grant to the Lowry, we will work with them to support the ‘Inspire to Aspire’ programme.
“At a time when the Tory government is hitting young people the hardest, we want to make sure that in Salford young talent is not wasted but given every opportunity.”