Care2 says:
"In Tower Hamlets, London, UK, cuts to local services are having a disastrous impact on families. As a result of the loss of youth centres and an addiction recovery service, crime is rising. A nursery has been closed and other services privatised. Elderly people have lost free home care. Meanwhile, the Mayor gave himself a payrise. Please sign this petition to urge the Mayor to reverse these cuts to community services in the next budget. This petition will be delivered to the Mayor at the annual council budget meeting in mid-February 2018 so please sign and share urgently, before 15th Feb."
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We ask Mayor John Biggs to reverse his budget cuts – based on his mayoral choices and decisions – which have a clear negative impact on the community services and residents.
This is important because:
Despite inheriting £409 million reserves in 2015 from the previous administration which were put aside to help Tower Hamlets residents and to protect local services, as well as, millions in the capital funds and receiving hundreds of extra millions of pounds, Mayor John Biggs, since June 2015, has chosen to:
• Increase Council Tax for residents by 9% since 2016. Between 2011-15, it was frozen at 0%;
• Make brutal cuts of c. £75m in total (c. £17m in 2016, then extra £58m in Feb 2017);
• Make cuts of £7.5 million to Adults Services; and £7.2 million to Children's Services;
• Shut down our Youth Centres, and stop funding Drugs/Rehab project like Nafas;
• Shut down Queen Mary nursery and privatised other services;
• Reduce the Council Tax subsidy for the self-employed and others;
• Stop Free Homecare by introducing new charges for residents, especially the elderly;
• Other frontline and community services reduced or removed;
• Cut 34 police officers, despite warnings, refused to fund them in 2015/16 but suddenly found the money, conveniently, before the election to fund some;
• Crime and drugs use increased, with other negative consequences, as a direct result of these budget choices by Mayor John Biggs which can't be simply excused or blamed on anyone else. These are only a few examples.
Mayor John Biggs has made the above choices, decisions and cuts for residents while he has found money to:
• Award himself a shocking 11.78% pay increase & give inflation-busting raise to others.
• Spend £50m on consultants, agency contractors, gadgets and ICT upgrades.
• Pay £5m on the Council's top-tiered salaries while hundreds of lower and middle-paid employees, who deliver services, have been made redundant.
Thank you for taking the time to read and sign.
Ohid Ahmed and Emma Adams
