Gordon Birtwistle & Burnley Liberal Democrats

Posts Tagged ‘labour’

Burnley Council’s opposition Labour group were accused last night of casting bizarre and bitter votes against routine Council reports that monitor the Council’s spending and allow it to function.

The reports note changes to council budgets that are necessary during the year and offer advice to councillors on managing public money.

During the meeting, Labour tried to prevent the Council from:

- revising the list of banks the Council invests money with, to keep the public’s money safe
- avoiding losing money on railway station refurbishments after an NWDA promise to provide the funding was withdrawn
- recording savings made after council posts were left vacant to save money.

Labour leader Coun Julie Cooper said her Councillors had voted against the reports because Labour disagreed with the coalition government’s strategy on public finances.

But Lib Dem leader Charlie Briggs said, “Political debate is right and proper, but the Labour group appears to have lost the plot.

“Their votes were bizarre. These reports have nothing to do with running the country and are all about Burnley. Luckily they were outvoted or there could have been financial chaos. How can Labour vote against making sure Burnley Council invests only in safe banks?

“Labour offered no alternatives on how to manage the town’s finances. They are relentlessly negative at the moment and have nothing of their own to contribute. They seemed to vote against everything in a fit of pique without even reading the reports.

“They have learned nothing from the mess they made of the national public finances.”

Well, the County Council elections are over, and for the Burnley Lib Dems it was a very successful day!

We took five out of a possible six seats in Burnley, which we had secretly wished for, but never truly expected (well done Margaret for sneaking Rural under the radar), and I almost won the Burnley West and Padiham seat, which I never thought I would come close to winning. I came 3rd, but it was a very respectible 3rd place, only 228 votes off the BNP who unfortunately took the seat, for their first County seat in Lancashire.

I think we proved that Labour are dead in Burnley, and the fight now turns to getting rid of “Makeover Kitty”, and 2010′s Local Elections, where, I am sure, we will make even more gains.