LAST week's announcement by Environment Secretary Michael Heseltine that he will introduce new legislation in the next parliamentary session to curb local authority spending marks a new stage in the Tories' war against Labour councils. Having failed to authorities to implement drastic austerity measures Heseltine now plans to plug all the legal gaps which Labour councils have used to avoid cuts and rent rises.
Socialist Challenge stands with all those in ine labour movement Heseltine's attempts to slash social spending and to shackle local government But the new Heseltine Bill will have the merit of making the debate inside the labour that halfway-house positions Tories' cutbacks will be removed. It will leave total capitulation to the Tories, or an all-out fight against them as the only two serious options.
In the past weeks, authorities have tried to asking local people if they would 'prefer' rate rises or cuts in services. The option of opposing both was not even put. Not surprisingly only 25 per cent bothered to vote and the ratepayers lobby won out.
The Lothian Labour group, under fierce pressure from Scottish Younger, finally agreed to f24m of cuts - only to be told that this so-called 'compromise' was not enough either and that f30m of cuts was needed.
In both their best intentions. have been left doing the Tories' job for them. Elsewhere Labour making service cuts through gigantic rate rises - some more than 100 per cent.
In London the GLC rate supplement to pay thousands of people. It is a guaranteed voteloser in next May's local elections.
As local Labour manifestos for next May one thing should be crvstal clear to them. pious promises is of no use to anyone. Manifesto commitments can only be paid for by smashing the government's cash limits.
All other solutions such as 'compromise' cuts or rate rises represent doing the Tories' job for them and discrediting Labour councils into the bargain. As the left makes advances inside the Labour Party it has to avoid like the plague becoming identified with massive rate rises. This approach is an attack on working class living rent rises ana cuts in services The job of Labour councils is not to implement the Tories' anti-working class policies but to mobilise working people against them. That task cannot be implemented if the council is busy levying rate rises or making cuts. This point has to be at the centre of the current debate within the labour movement on the selection of councillors and the manifesto for next year's local elections.
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