At last night’s Full Council and budget meeting, the ruling Labour Party voted unanimously to have the tax payer continue to fund three Labour political officers, speech writers and spin doctors and allow eight frontline jobs to be axed.
The meeting, which focused specifically on the 2015/16 Council Budget, saw Islington Green Party’s Cllr Caroline Russell (Highbury East) table an amendment to the budget in order to protect eight at-risk, frontline jobs within the Income Maximisation and Take Up teams which provide valuable benefits advice ensuring Islington residents are receiving the benefits they are entitled to.
As Islington’s only opposition councillor Cllr Russell suggested that the three Labour Party political roles should be funded by Labour themselves and not be paid for from public money as they currently are. The roles are a Research Officer, a Support Officer and the Head of the Labour Office.
The suggested amendment from Cllr Russell, who is also the Green Party’s parliamentary candidate for Islington North, was voted down by all Labour members.
Councillor Russell said: “The jobs that the council is planning to lose work with people to ensure that they receive the benefits that they are entitled to. For many these benefits are the difference between utter desperation and just about being able to get by. They also help disabled people transfer from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment as well as the introduction of Universal Credit which poses a lot of issues for people to switch over to. With these fundamental and often complicated changes to the benefits system, the need for trained, skilled and accessible advisers is more important now than ever.
“It is extremely worrying that the Islington Labour Party is prepared to lose eight vital members of the teams that provide benefits advice to our residents whilst keeping hold of their own political officers and ‘spin doctors’. It amazes me that they think it’s acceptable that tax payers should foot the bill and pay for Labour Party officers when we’re all facing unfair and savage austerity cuts to vital services across Islington.”
Charlie Kiss, The Green Party’s parliamentary candidate for Islington South and Finsbury, said: “The Electoral Commission just published the party donation figures for the fourth quarter of last year. It showed that the Labour Party received £18m from corporations, trade unions and individuals.
Labour is clearly not short of money and I would have hoped that they would see it is proper and fair to pay for their own political officers.
“What benefit does a Labour Party speech writer give to a disabled person transferring onto Personal Independence Payment from Disability Living Allowance who is understandably worried about their continuation of their payments?
“What reassurance will a Labour Party spin doctor give to a family who is trying to appeal an unfair removal of benefits that has left them without the money to feed their children?
“I am disappointed with the ruling Labour group and how they saw fit to put their own political officers before support to the community.”
A recording of the full council meeting is available to view here:
http://bambuser.com/v/5312490 and part two here: