Southwark’s Equalities and Human Rights Panel has raised concerns about the potential impact of cuts to key services proposed for the 2024/25 budget.
Labour’s cabinet member for finance, Cllr Stephanie Cryan, claimed in Southwark News this week that the council’s ‘robust’ budget would protect key services despite containing £6.5m in cuts to Children’s Services and Adult Social Care.
The budget proposals, reviewed by Southwark’s main scrutiny committee this week, also contain cuts to education and library services while increasing charges such as pest treatments.
Southwark’s own report on the equalities impacts of these proposed cuts admitted that many could have a negative impact on residents.
Responding, the Equalities and Human Rights Panel said it was “unable to fully endorse the report” and raised concerns over a number of specific spending reductions.
Liberal Democrat councillor and vice-chair of the Overview Scrutiny Committee Irina von Wiese said that the council needed to be more ambitious in its income generation and internal savings in order to avoid potentially damaging cuts.
Meanwhile, Labour announced they would be hiring a new strategic director of communications which will cost £148k. Liberal Democrat opposition councillors branded the decision an “insult to residents” when considering cuts being made to key services.
Commenting, Vice-Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Cllr Irina von Wiese said:
“We fully appreciate the unprecedented financial difficulties faced by the council after years of disastrous Conservative cuts. However, that is exactly why we need a more innovative and ambitious budget to avoid making cuts that will affect the most vulnerable in our borough.
It’s disgraceful for the council to be considering such drastic cuts while lazily sitting on millions in commercial assets and having just announced a new £150k spin doctor position. Labour must heed the warnings of the Equalities and Human Rights Panel and start putting the needs of residents first.”
