The Labour Council had a choice to make in March.

It was to implement £21 million of cuts which originated from the Tory government in Westminster or fight the cuts and set a needs-based budget which reflected the needs of local people.

They made a political choice and implemented the Tory cuts which will ravage many council services and cost around 250 council workers their jobs. People will not feel the effects of many of the cuts for months but with fewer staff, some services will not survive.

There are early signs that litter on the streets is getting worse with less litter picking taking place while pavement waste bins are also emptied less frequently. There is also less grass-cutting in open spaces. The new increased charge for the care of the garden scheme of £100 is excessive. It is out of reach of many elderly and infirm who are unfit to tend to their garden. The scheme has also been restricted to constituents needing to be on certain disability payments. These cuts are the tip of the iceberg with many more in the pipeline in coming months.

Difficulties for constituents trying to access council services, particularly by phone are getting worse and with less staff, this will continue to be a problem.

Labour had the choice to fight the cuts locally but failed miserably and implemented the cuts handed down by the Tories. 

The wider community in conjunction with the Trade Unions are organising a demo against the cuts in jobs and services on Saturday, June 10 at 12 noon at West Dunbartonshire Headquarters at 16 Church Street Dumbarton, in the car park.

Come along to the demo and have your say. Fight to defend Council Services and Jobs. Enough is Enough.