Budget crisis ‘Labour’s fault’ claim

SCATHING attack . . . Alan Harrison

A FORMER Labour councillor has launched a stinging attack on his former colleagues — blaming them for Oldham Council’s budget crisis.

Alan Harrison, a Failsworth West councillor for 13 years until he quit in 2007, blames Labour for deliberately failing to raise the council tax last year and leaving the reserves short of cash.

In an open letter to the Chronicle, he claims Labour knew they would get a hammering at the local elections this year.

Therefore, he adds, Labour set up a budget so that the incoming administration would fail.
The letter states: “Thinking ahead to 2010, Labour deliberately failed to raise council tax and ensured there would be no extra money available in reserve to meet the shortfall from the Government.”

The council, now controlled by the Liberal Democrats, has already warned of a £17.5million funding gap and the possibility of 850 job losses to balance the books next year.

Mr Harrison, a social worker, also resigned from the Labour Party all together last year.

He said: “I am waiting for the backlash from my former colleagues, but that is how I see it from the sidelines.

“I am worried about the effects on jobs and vulnerable people, and I felt something was not right.

“Any forward-looking council, looking at next year’s budget, knows a 0 per cent increase is not on. You need something in reserve.

“The Labour group will use the unpopularity in the political propaganda that will come during 2008/10 (when the next elections are held). It will issue leaflets blaming and criticising the current administration for not managing the budget properly, when in fact it is they who are the cause of the problem.”

Councillor David Jones, the former leader of Oldham Council and the Labour group, who presented last year’s budget, dismissed the claims.

He said: “We knew things would be difficult this year but we had a strategy for dealing with it.

“You don’t make decisions in December thinking you are going to lose in May. People had been having council tax increases at twice the rate of inflation for too long.

“We could have got increases at, or even under, inflation this year. It would have been hard but we would have done it.”

Current Labour leader Councillor Jim McMahon said: “Alan’s comments are bizarre. It’s a shame he put pen to paper without seeking the facts.”