Labour Turn Their Backs on Help for the Elderly

12.55.37pm GMT Wed 7th Nov 2007

In an extraordinary move at yesterday's County Council meeting, the Labour group failed to support a Liberal Democrat amendment asking for more money to go into relieving pressures in the older people's budget.

The Council was discussing spending some additional money it had received from Government, and, after putting £100,000 into a fund for welcoming and supporting returning military personnel, the Cabinet recommended that it should be allowed to decide on spending the rest at a future Cabinet meeting. Liberal Democrat finance spokesperson Alan Armitage instead suggested deciding here and now to use the remaining money for supporting older people. He reminded Councillors that many of the elderly in this county also served their country during the wars of the 20th century. After World War 2, they were promised by politicians that if they paid their taxes and their national insurance until they retired, they would be looked after by the state in their old age.

However, the Leader of the Labour Group spoke against his amendment to put the nearly quarter of a million extra into care for older people, and her group abstained, allowing the Conservatives to throw it out without so much as a protest from the self-styled defenders of social care services.

Alan said, "The attitude of the county Labour group is puzzling. On the one hand they claim they want the council to spend more money on services for the elderly, but on the other hand they don't support proposals to spend money on the elderly when it comes available. They defend the elderly in their letters and speeches but when it comes to concrete action, they fail to back up their words. People can judge for themselves now what their words are actually worth!"

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Alan's speech.