Five Days Till the Voters Decide

In the run up to the elections on the 22 May I thought I would revisit what was said by the ruling group before the last election in 2010 and see to what extent they have delivered on what they said.

As a starting point you could do no better than read an interview with Mike Freer, the "architect" of the entire One Barnet credo as reported in the Guardian. No mention of handing over services to a private company who claim commercial confidentiality. No mention of cuts the most vulnerable. Alternatively you could look at the 2010 Manifesto (see below). No mention of One Barnet or  cuts to key services in there either.

Given that the track record of the current regime is not to tell you what is coming up after the election what could we expect? Further cuts to services especially for the 10% of residents who are heavily dependent on the council for support; the disabled, the elderly, those with learning difficulties. The council seem to have worked out that it is better to keep the 80-90% of residents content by keeping council tax low and stuff the vulnerable because they have a comparatively small proportion of the vote which is "expendable". When Councillor Cornelius said he thought it was fair to make cuts to Mapledown school there was uproar and the decision was temporarily reversed. However, straight after the election be prepared for a further round of cuts to services.

I would also be prepared for a further round of outsourcing. Reading the papers today and the proposal to outsource child protection services, this demonstrates just how much further the zealots are prepared to go in privatising public services - and Barnet are at the forefront of this plan.

So when candidates come knocking on your door asking for your votes  remember what happened in 2010 and just try and imagine what they have got planned after these elections.

2010 Conservative Manifesto