Speech: Budget Amendment

During the vote on Havering's latest budget, which included proposals from the Havering Resident's Association to close libraries, I challenged the HRA on their election promises to "Stop the destruction".

The Conservatives group voted for every amendment which provided funding for libraries. We even backed the Labour motion, which was to follow my suggestion of scrapping food bin liners (Press Release: Library Closure is a Betrayal of Residents).

In the end, with the combined efforts of Conservatives, Labour and Independents, the vote was a tie. Mayor Cllr Gerry O'Sullivan therefore cast the deciding vote and he voted for the HRA's library closure budget.

It was a deeply disappointing night for Havering, we showed that when united across parties we can protect public services from the HRA cuts.

We'll have them next time!

My speech below.

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Text of speech Thank you very much, Mr Mayor.

Probably like some of you, I spend a lot of these meetings wondering what on earth I'm doing here. I'm sure a lot of you wonder what I'm doing here as well, but we'll get to another time. But what we're doing here is being elected by the residents to debate, to discuss, to come up with ideas and to have actual conversation, not to just stand and joust at each other and say your idea is wrong because it's come from the wrong coloured tie. So I'm really pleased that this evening the Conservative Group  is going to be supporting every single amendment that saves the libraries.

And we're doing that for a reason. We're doing that because we can. And because closing the libraries is a choice, and we've heard a few people talk about what's going on in the past in this chamber. I was going to say I've not had the pleasure of being around for long enough.

But if it's been anything like it's been for the last three years, I'm kind of glad I wasn't around much earlier. But I was taking a look at some of the budgets that were delivered in the past. In 2021, the MTFS told us we would have a gap. The R esidents Associations tabled no amendments.

In 2022 the MTFS told us that we would have a gap. The response in the Residents Association was to delete scrutiny. It's a very interesting approach when you know that you've got a budget deficit coming up. Your approach isn't to address that deficit and make savings, it's to cut the scrutiny or to say nothing at all and then going into the election having read the budget papers, as I presume you all have.

You didn't stand there and say. The government's underfunding us. This is a problem. We're going to have to make cuts, you said and I quote on the 30th of April 2022 via your social media that you love.

You could vote HRA to stop the planned destruction, and you cited closure of the libraries. You were elected on the basis that you would stop the destruction, you would stop the libraries being closed. That was your election promise. That's what got you in those seats.

You knew there was a deficit for two years in a row and you still made that promise. It's taken us now three years to get to a point where you're coming forward with a plan. And the plan is close. That's a choice.

You could have made a choice three years ago to invest in those libraries with three and a half million of unspent CIL money that could have gone in, could have been invested, But it wasn't. So now we have to close. But we don't. There's three amendments here from three good groups that show you there's a way forwards in this.

Three of these amendments that have shown you that the food waste collection is also a choice. The government says you don't need to do it until next year, till April 2026,  but you have opted to bring it in six months early. We had a question earlier, what's the cost of the delay? Well, the cost of bringing it in six months early optionally is £1.2 million in collection costs.

So those of you that have sat there elected on the promise to stop the destruction of the libraries are about to vote to spend 1.2 million. To optionally collect food waste six months earlier than it needs to be. And maybe that was in your manifesto. I don't know.

I didn't pay much attention to it. I'm sure one of you will tell us that it was. But if not, what on earth are you doing here?How can you get elected on a promise to stop the destruction and then spend 1.2 million collecting food waste earlier than it needs to be?I also remember the video that went out. I think a few of you left the chamber.

You're upset because someone said you'd bring the parks to rack and ruin. Now they're not rack and ruin. I think they're well maintained. And our green flags tell us they're well maintained.

Even yourself, Mr Mayor stood outside the town hall as part of this group and said, "why have we got? Green flags? It's a waste of money in and a PR stunt." I got an I'll send you the video. I've got an e-mail in my inbox.

Cheering the green flags, that's a choice.

So if you're going to make a choice to bring in your food waste collection six months early, you're going to make a choice to continue with the green flags that you dislike. Then it's time you own the choice about closing the libraries, because that is your decision. Mr Mayor, you've got to be doing something really special and really wrong to unite Havering Conservatives and Labour.

Something really has to be going wrong. Well, tonight, Mr Mayor, it has. Because we're going to vote for every single amendment that saves the libraries and show the residents it's your choice.