CHESTERFIELD FAST BECOMING ONE OF LABOUR'S FORGOTTEN TOWNS - HOLMES

12.00.00am GMT Thu 21st Feb 2008

Paul Holmes, Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Chesterfield was today due to address a public meeting Defending Public Services in Chesterfield, unfortunately owing to parliamentary votes on the Prevention of Terrorism Act and on emergency legislation to nationalise Northern Rock he is now unable to attend.

Mr Holmes criticised the Government for the appalling levels of funding granted to Chesterfield Borough Council. In the recent Local Government Settlement Chesterfield received a settlement significantly below the national average and below inflation and the figures for the next two years are a punitive settlement below inflation of 0.7% and 0.6%.

The Labour Government continues to make arbitrary 20% cuts in staffing of public services damaging frontline staff who work with the most vulnerable people dealing with the bewildering bureaucratic maze of tax credits, CSA, pensions and incapacity benefit.

Previous threats to public services in Chesterfield have included the threat to close the HMRC centre which was recently defeated by a local campaign although a few jobs will still move to Sheffield.

Labour have also previously threatened to close Chesterfield Medical Assessment centre forcing people to travel to Sheffield to be assessed for Incapacity Benefit, this was again defeated by a local campaign.

Since the Local Government Settlement of 1999/2000, Chesterfield has consistently been in the bottom three for local government funding increases throughout Derbyshire seeing the smallest increase four times.

Commenting Paul Holmes MP said:

The latest derisory local government settlement is sadly the latest in a long line of measures continuing Labour's neglect of Chesterfield's residents.

It is the people of Chesterfield that feel the pinch of Labour's financial ineptitude, economic mismanagement and abject neglect of public services.

This latest insult to Chesterfield will mean a lean year ahead for local services as the settlement fails to even take into account the additional costs of services that Government wants councils to provide.

Labour's neglect of Chesterfield sadly stretches further than local government funding.

Derbyshire police and fire authorities continue to be under funded. At a time when the Government are prepared to waste billions on an intrusive, ineffective and expensive ID card scheme surely they would be better suited to listening to Liberal Democrat appeals to scrap this scheme and use the money to put more police on our streets.

Chesterfield is fast becoming yet another of Labour's forgotten towns receiving low levels of funding for our local council and for our vital emergency services.

It is left to the Liberal Democrats to protect public services and stand up for Chesterfield and I will continue to stand up for Chesterfield and hold the Government to account over its neglect of Chesterfield and its disdain for public services.