I'm from the south, but people of Manchester.....

[stoatsrevenge]

....how do you feel about the £110m cuts in your council's budget and 2000 redundancies? Is it justified?

No doubt they'll be axing all the useful staff like care workers and keep all the over paid town hall stalins, who specialise in diversity brainwashing, translation services, 5 a day officers, propaganda dept. etc.

Stoat - no it's not. It's politically motivated (Lab council) and unnecessary because the govt could just raise taxes on a graded scale, chase up the tax avoiders, cap bonuses and Bob's your auntie we've got enough money to put in the Housing Benefit pot, to reinstate the EMA, to give to students and for Kate and Wills to throw pennies to the paupers running behind their carriage.

But Manchester City Council has money in reserve which was going to be new buildings, I think, and that will have to go towards paying for redundancies, apparently.

Mad.

Our council is cutting home care for elderly, respite for carers disability shopping, music services, special needs services, lollipop people... the list goes on ....These cuts save paltry amounts of money (particularly as there are some idiotic capital projects in the pipeline).

However, the Manchester cuts are absolutely HUGE, and I can't believe that such cuts can be made, without having a massive effect on the community.

I think I heard that there are stirrings within the Labour Party, questioning whether cuts on this scale are necessary. The Tories' cuts are social engineering, pure and simple. Watch this space!

And increasing the public sector massively by employing hoardes of diversity officers etc in 13 years wasn't social engineering??

What's a diversity officer? Was the government at the time trying to manage the issues raised by immigration, ie trying to help the people coming here to settle in and the people already living here to welcome and look after them? What's wrong with that?
How is that social engineering?

I think you have just answered your own question!!

'trying to manage the issues raised by immigration'

Since when the hell was that the job of local councils, I pay council tax for street lights and rubbish to be collected, not for propaganda to convince me a 3rd world invasion is 'enriching'

Ah. You don't like people coming to this country? Why not?

Given that they are here, it's probably better to pay a team of professionals to help them (and you) adjust to the new situation, don't you think? Is there a better way of avoiding conflict between the new arrivals and people who are already here?

Why not? Because I liked it the way it was. I have no interest in living in Pakistan, Somalia, Nigeria, India or Poland, so why would I want them all to move here and overcrowd our country.

Apparently people within Manchester CC do feel like this is largely the result of a political move on the part of the coalition. Manchester is perceived politically as the most powerful economy outside London, with a strong Labour leader. Other smaller and less diverse/complex authorities such as Dorset (Tory retirement heartland) received increases this FY, where the large urban conurbations which are classical Labour territory such as Brum & Manc. were significantly cut.

Rumour has it that Manchester is only targeting people in the plus 55 group to take voluntary redundancy first. Birmingham has already allegedly got folks working five day weeks and being paid for four, effectively deeming vital public services as part voluntary ventures (Is this the so called unqualified Big Society?').

The issues with the cuts in public services, particularly in large urban area's revolve around the simple fact that only those services cut that are deemed 'profitable' by the private sector will be picked up and replaced in the Govt'.s so called strategy fro reforms. The outcome will be many services which address social issues like diversity, poverty, crime, the elderly etc will not be met. This will inevitably result in increased poverty for large portions of the community which otherwise successful councils will be blamed for...

The travesty as seen by die hard public sector peeps is;

Many of the services we take completely for granted will disappear and be so badly damaged they will never return - long term

The economies where these services currently operate will be severely stunted by both the lack of services AND increased unemployment - medium term

Council day to day operations are ruptured in the short term as incumbent employees await the changes, as with any large organisation going through change.

The real question to this audience should be - do we really believe that in four years time votes lost by the left as a result of these cuts will impact positively on the current Coalition and its leaders (who can still afford ski-holidays for their families forever after) ?

I feel so sorry for Manchester. It's a great place to live and the local councillors in the 1980s and 1990s (when I lived there) were fantastic, totally commited individuals who sincerely wanted to make life fairer and better for everyone.

How horrible to be stopped in their tracks by a Tory-Liberal conspiracy like this.

But they are clever managers in Mancheste, and they'll do the best they can.

In case it passed your attention Hammerlikedaisies labour spent about 20 billion on illegal wars and killing innocent civillains, so spare the crocodile tears.

I hope those labour councillors end up destitute and living in hostels.

Yes the war was a horrible mistake. All wars are, imo.

What's your solution to the problem of cuts in Manchester?

A horrible mistake, oops like crashing your car into the car in front because you didn't look where you were going NOT.

Excuse me if you are a Labour voter you have blood on your hands and especially if you voted for that bunch of war criminals since 2003.

Did the labour councillors of Manchester resign from the Labour party in disgust at their party spanding billions to bomb civillians and children in other countries. NO!!

So wars cost money. The bill has now arrived. TOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You should of thought of that before you killed 100,000 people.

My solution is to tell the labour councillors they have to work for free, sack all the do gooders like diversity officers and increase the pay of care workers.

I would also seize the assets of labour councillors nationwide and put it towards reparations to Iraqi families who had family killed.

Sadly Compfan the people who have independently profited from the war on terror are people like former Tory politicians, such as John Major who became a Director of one of the worlds largest Arms manufacturers. Most of the people who stand to lose as a result of the cuts are women, and mums in Manchester and elsewhere... likewise your so called innocent victims...

p.s. I didn't vote for Tony Blair in 1997 or there-after but have subsequently been equally let down by the party I did vote for.

I've never been accused of mass murder before! Interesting what can happen to you on Mumsnet.

Feel we've hogged the discussion for long enough. I'd like to hear more from Oscarand Lulu and others.

So - nice speaking to you, Compfan. Time to move on.