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# Burntwood councillor says Tories have turned a blind eye to the local impact of austerity measures
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/burntwood-councillor-says-tories-have-turned-a-blind-eye-to-the-local-impact-of-austerity-measures/
- Published: 2017-03-06T08:36:57.000Z
- Updated: 2017-03-06T09:31:18.000Z
- Description: Labour has accused Conservative councillors in Lichfield and Burntwood of turning a blind eye to the impact of widespread budget cuts.
- Author: Lichfield Live
- Tags: Politics, News

Labour has accused Conservative councillors in Lichfield and Burntwood of turning a blind eye to the impact of widespread budget cuts.

[Plans to charge for brown bin collections](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2017/02/28/people-in-lichfield-and-burntwood-could-be-charged-extra-to-have-their-brown-bins-collected/) across the region are the latest in a line of cuts made as part of Lichfield District Council’s bid to plug a sizeable gap in its budget.

Reductions in government funding mean the local authority faces a £620,000 shortfall in 2018/19 and a further £2million the following year.

Cllr Iain Eadie, Cabinet member for waste management said last week that the local authority was spending 20% less on services than it was five years ago – and [warned the council could not afford to carry on spending as it was](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2017/03/02/lichfield-district-council-cannot-afford-to-keep-up-spending-levels-on-services-councillor-warns/).

[![Sue Woodward](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/suewoodward.jpg)](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2015/05/08/labour-have-lost-seats-but-not-their-fight-councillor-insists/suewoodward-2/)

Cllr Sue Woodward

Labour opposition group leader, Cllr Sue Woodward – whose party voted against plans to hike council tax by 3.1% – said the bleak picture showed the reality was hitting home for local Tories.

“Cllr Eadie has at last broken cover and highlighted the funding gaps in Lichfield District Council’s budget,” she said. “Until now, as the Government cuts have hit councils year on year, most of the Conservative councillors at Lichfield District Council have either ignored the unprecedented level of cuts or have pretended that it’s all business as usual.

“That can’t possibly be and some are still in denial – in fact, an election leaflet from Conservative candidates in the forthcoming county council elections talk of ‘low taxation coupled with better services’. This is in spite of the fact that both the district and county councils are increasing council tax to the maximum they are allowed and are slashing services.

“We are also seeing more and more charges imposed on individuals, whether the tip tax to dispose of DIY waste or now the bin tax on green waste”

Cllr Woodward also criticised the Government for its decision to cut the New Homes Bonus to fund a shortfall in social care for county councils.

She added: “The Government is robbing Peter to pay Paul or, in our case, robbing Mike \[Wilcox, leader of Lichfield District Council\] to pay Philip \[Atkins, leader of Staffordshire County Council\].

“It’s the ideological imposition of austerity measures which is devastating our public services and people are being asked to pay more to get less.”