Opposition ‘worried cuts will impact vulnerable people’

ROYAL BOROUGH: Opposition figures have reacted with anger and frustration to the proposals in the draft 2021/22 budget.

The draft includes a raft of cuts to services, forced by the need to save about £8million.

Councillor Simon Werner (Lib Dem, Pinkneys Green), leader of the Royal Borough Liberal Democrats, accused the administration of

‘giving up on the community’.

He said: “It’s the short-termism that sums up the whole approach.

“I introduced the community wardens back when I was deputy leader, I’m really upset by that, they help so many people across the borough.

“It’s basically giving up on the community.”

On the public consultation, which will begin on Monday should the proposals get the green light from cabinet this evening (Thursday), Cllr Werner added: “I think it’s a rubber stamp exercise, they’ll change a few things and say ‘we listened’.

“I really would want the residents to engage with it and tell the Conservatives exactly where they’re going wrong and what they should be doing.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Lynne Jones (Ind,

Old Windsor), leader of the local independents, was scathing of the paper.

She said: “I’m worried, some of these cuts will impact vulnerable people.

“The political decision to lower council tax has left us so weak, there isn’t a choice any more.

“This is a balanced budget, so if any people don’t want some things, then savings have to be made somewhere else.

“This is decimating the ‘nice to have’ services – it’s pretty much parred back to statutory services, which is what a Section 114 would be anyway.

“For such an affluent area, with all the money that’s come in, we shouldn’t be in this situation.”