Coun Gail Turner guest column: Why is Labour spending when cuts are needed?

All we hear about these days is cuts, cuts and more cuts so why is Labour run Ashfield District Council and again Labour run Nottinghamshire County Council spending, spending and spending.

It is the intention at Nottinghamshire County Council to completely refurbish the Council Chamber to the tune of £498K.

The fatuous reason is to improve access for disabled people. Of course access should be easy for all, but there is no need to spend half a million pounds on this. Just a small change to the wall at the rear of the chamber would easily remedy the access problems.

How will this exorbitant unnecessary refurbishment done under the guise improving disabled access improve the level of debate or more importantly improve services to the residents of Nottinghamshire.

Cuts to services have been made by the Labour group effecting some of the most vulnerable people in Nottinghamshire and they always blame the Government. Labour is always saying that Nottinghamshire is being treated unfairly but I say that the Labour run County Council is treating the residents particularly the vulnerable residents of Nottinghamshire unfairly.

This refurbishment is a terrific waste of tax-payers money and in my view making the vulnerable even more vulnerable.

Ashfield District Council too is spending like there’s no tomorrow, almost a quarter of a million pounds on various refurbishments and of course the new Labour offices.

They spend £80K of your money every year on a staff canteen and £70K on bonuses. Now Ashfield District Council is to spend £3M on a miniaturised leisure centre.

The Labour Party describes this as a state of the art leisure centre. What it actually will be is a cheap prefabricated building taking up a lesser foot print than the Festival Hall and as such will provide fewer facilities.

I would agree that the Festival Hall could do with some attention but certainly not £3M worth particularly as the Labour Party is closing public convenances, cutting community protection officers, put up Council Tax unnecessarily and should address the dog fouling and litter problems throughout the district.