Southampton Labour Councillors suspended

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Wednesday, 12 September 2012

Written by Soton SA sellers

Councillors Don Thomas and Keith Morrell have been suspended for four months from the Southampton Council ruling Labour Group. Their crime was voting against the Group’s proposal to close a well supported swimming pool in their area of Southampton to save about £250,000 (see report here ).

Unfortunately in voting against the proposal it was also suggested by some that they opposed all the proposals contained in an interim budget after the Labour Party was voted into power in the May 2012 elections. They did not oppose the other proposals,  they were supporting the policies the Party had campaigned on during the election campaign.

Further information indicates that the council will receive less money from the national coffers next year amounting to a shortfall of about £25 million. This will mean that larger cuts will be presented to councilors making the savings from the closure of the pool look like a drop in the ocean. Cuts in vital services will be certain if these new cuts are accepted. The two councillors should not be disciplined but used to spearhead a fight back against all the cuts that attack the welfare of the old, poor and sick.

The Guardian newspaper of 11 September 2012 reported new research from a management consultancy firm Candesic, that the biggest cuts in budgets had been made in Labour controlled councils often representing the poorer areas; Liverpool (16.6%), Manchester (16.4%) and Tower Hamlets (15.8%) whilst Tory control councils cut less, a lot less; Dorset (1.2%), Surrey (2.1%) and West Sussex (2.6%).

The Labour Party and the Trade Unions should be joining together to campaign against the cuts and put the socialist alternative and push for a change in society.