Labour Plan Exposed as 'Money Grabbing' Exercise

12.00.00am GMT Tue 22nd Dec 2009

Cllr Paul Scriven on the Lansdowne Estate, one of the areas that would lose out under Labour

Today it has been revealed that the opposition Labour Group on Sheffield City Council policy of changing key community budgets would see many deprived areas lose thousands of pounds in order to boost the budgets of areas exclusively represented by Labour councillors. Liberal Democrats on Sheffield City Council, who have branded the plan as a 'money grabbing exercise', have revealed the figures after asking Council Officers the effect of a Labour proposal moved at a November 2009 Council meeting.

Under the plan to change budgets for Sheffield's seven Community Assemblies, every Community Assembly would lose out apart from the two exclusively made up of Labour councillors. They would see their budgets boosted by a total of £137,803.

Community Assemblies are council area boards made up of local councillors from four wards. They each have a budget to spend on local priorities.

Cllr Paul Scriven, Liberal Democrat Leader of Sheffield City Council, said:

"Labour's policy to change the budget for Community Assemblies has been exposed as nothing more than a money grabbing exercise. The only areas that would gain under their plan are the two Community Assemblies that exclusively have Labour councillors on them. Even in opposition Labour are only interested in their favoured areas.

Labour justified their proposal by claiming it would see more money directed to deprived areas. However, under their plans deprived areas such as Sharrow, Broomhall, Gleadless Valley, High Green, Westfield and Low Edges would lose thousands of pounds.

Paul added "I fail to see how Labour can justify taking money away from places like the Lansdowne Estate in Central Ward for example. Clearly this has nothing to do with tackling deprivation and everything to do with Labour councillors trying to grab as much money as possible for their favoured areas at the expense of the vast majority of the rest of Sheffield.

"Now that their favoured areas plan has been exposed local people can see that the Sheffield Labour Party have exactly the same unfair policies as they had when they were voted out last year."