Bromley group to defend against ‘Valentine’s massacre’ of services
Tim Dickens, Reporter Thursday, February 10, 2011
Bromley Cuts Concern protest at the civic centre, from left to right Michael Weller, John Street, Colin Clary, and
Ann GarrettThe group, led by the Green Party activist Ann Garrett, hopes that as many people as possible will support them in Market Square, Bromley, on February 19. They will also be lobbying councillors at a meeting of the Executive at the civic centre on Monday.
Mr Weller, of Queen Adelaide Road, Penge, said: “We want to create a public profile to make residents think that something can be done about this attack on our services.
“Under this budget it is the younger generation that are the target, and anything that strikes at the young and the elderly doesn’t bode well.”
Councillors are currently considering a raft of ‘savings’ including the closure of all but three children’s centres, ‘deleting’ lollipop ladies and cutting back on care services in what has been called a ‘Valentine’s Day Massacre’ by Bromley Cuts Concern.
Once the executive members have passed the proposed budget on Monday it will be up to the full council to finally ratify it at a meeting on February 28.
On Monday Phil Hoby, chairman of St Mary’s Pre-School in Hayes, handed a petition with over 500 names to Bromley council objecting to plans to scrap school crossing patrols and mother-of-one Rita Shipley, 38, has begun a petition to save threatened Burnt Ash Lane children’s centre.
Much money has been wasted, over the years, by not switching public buildings to renewable energy, power consumption being one of the main running expenses. But even if this had been done, the current despotic government in Westminster would still make the same demands on Bromley to cut expenditure - this is why it so unfair! It is even, arguably, unfair, therefore, on Bromley's Tory Council, with its record of careful money management.
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