Wyre Forest Labour today revealed 5 steps that explain how it will pay for its 7 County Council election manifesto pledges.

Stephen Brown, Labour Press Officer, said of the steps “It will radically change the way the council is run and put the restoration of crucial services back at the heart of what the council does. Our shift in emphasis on how council tax payers money is spent will mean scrapping Tory ideological Departments dedicated to austerity and which line the pockets of private companies and their shareholders. By doing this we will deliver services co-operatively, giving workers, communities and service users a bigger say; and it will start to reverse years of Tory damage to the County’s youth, adult, and social care services. If the public want a council that works for everyone, the only way that can happen is by voting Labour in the County elections on May 4th”.

The 5 steps will be incorporated into an emergency budget once Labour is elected and these are:

1. Cease giving BT a £10million hand-out just to help them with their Broadband costs.
2. Stop paying out on salaries that sees the Chief Executive paid more than the Prime Minster.   The Chief Executive and 9 Chief Officers cost over £1million per year.
3. Save £6million by scrapping the ‘Transformation and Change’ Department and create co-operatives to carry out services rather than outsource to ‘for profit’ companies.
4. The ‘Future Fit’ Programme will be disbanded saving up to £4m.
5. End the use of consultants and save £7m a year.

Labour’s 7 pledges are as follows:

• Labour ensuring a fully funded youth service
• Labour reinvesting to ensure Children’s centres are retained
• Labour investing in safe routes to schools and ensuring a mandatory 20mph limits
• Labour prioritising public health improvements to achieve the highest standards in health and wellbeing
• Labour ensuring that Adult Social Care will be delivered on the basis of need and providing more support for carers
• Labour improving all forms of public transport, including the re-introduction of free concessionary travel before 9.30am
• Labour promoting a sustainable economy and encouraging green and environmentally sensitive investment