This depressingly predictable slide towards the financial ruin and effective bankruptcy by Northamptonshire County Council is the result of staggering incompetence from both Whitehall and in County Hall says GMB
GMB has welcomed the support of Jeremy Corbyn after the Labour savaged the Prime Minister over the financial collapse of Northamptonshire County Council (NCC).
At Prime Minister’s Questions today, Mr Corbyn blamed the blamed the “slash and burn” approach to local authority funding as the reason for the council going bust.
NCC has been forced to ban all new spending to balance its budget for this year, while auditor KPMG then issued a legal warning that led to the council re-working its budget for 2018-19 to make £40m worth of cuts.
Rachelle Wilkins, GMB Regional Officer, said: “This depressingly predictable slide towards the financial ruin and effective bankruptcy by Northamptonshire County Council is the result of staggering incompetence from both Whitehall and in County Hall.
“GMB warned the council – and the seven Tory MPS who have presided over eight years of cuts to local services and cuts to employees’ terms and conditions – again and again that this authority was heading for the brink.
“It is a matter of public record that every single one of them supported austerity cuts year after year after year.
They all, despite their last minute protestations, have austerity blood on their hands.
“They wouldn’t listen then and now it looks like employees will pay the price.
“GMB is now balloting their members on a pay freeze after the meagre 2% rise cruelly ripped away from employees.
“The Council has used the cash to bail themselves out after they couldn’t balance the budget.
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