A Coventry councillor has hit out at plans to cut funding for street cleaning in the city. Cllr Gary Ridley called on the council to scrap the proposal which is part of nearly £9 million service cuts it is considering to balance the books.
The Labour-led council admits the move to axe almost £700k from the service budget could increase fly-tipping, graffiti would not be cleared as quickly and the city centre would not be cleaned as often. But Cllr Ridley, leader of the Conservative group, feared the plans could have worse outcomes.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the proposed cuts would harm the city's reputation, risk public health and punish residents while fly-tippers go "unchecked." "Clean streets are not a luxury, they are a necessity," he said.
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"We need to dump that proposal - lets cut fly-tipping, not the budget." The Labour group's Cabinet Member for Finance, Cllr Richard Brown, told the LDRS they do not want to slash funding from the service but claimed they are "running out of other options" because of historical and current underfunding.
He told the LDRS they want a "fairer deal" and said he will "not stop" until the city council's funding is back in line with the national or regional average. Leader Cllr George Duggins also said its final budget in February could look "radically different" and may not involve taking some of the unpopular measures.
Other moves on the table include scrapping free parking at War Memorial Park and cutting its budgets for elections and events. Members of the public will be asked for their opinions in a consultation due to open next week, 11 December.
