Hard facts of austerity Angus

Sir, – I have observed with some despair the recent decisions of Angus Council to restrict the opening hours of the tips and to propose imposing parking charges.

Both courses of action are counter productive. Making it less convenient for people to use recycling centres may result in more fly tipping in our countryside. The proposed parking charges may impact further on the viability of local shops that are already struggling.

However, I do understand that local councillors face difficult decisions trying to balance what they cut with ways to increase income. These decisions are in the context of 10 years of cuts from Westminster. The austerity policies of the UK Government have also brought increased child poverty, stagnant wages, standstill productivity and increased government borrowing and the more Westminster sticks to these policies the more our standard of living is eroded.

The overwhelming opinion of economists is that “austerity” as a policy does not work – it stifles growth, increases inequality and results in stagnation, at best, depression at worst.

The more these policies continue, the more we will face cuts in local services.

Austerity means the only arguments to be made locally among the political parties are over what bits to cut and what charges to increase – parking charges here and cut backs in recycling services there. It is of no credit to our MP, who criticises councillors about decisions on cuts to local services when she is part of the governing party that has imposed austerity on the many while giving tax cuts to the rich.

“Austerity” as a policy is only supported by one political party in Britain. So the solution to this politics of despair is deceptively simple – don’t vote Tory.

Brian Batson. Lour Road, Forfar.