Today, Redbridge Conservatives published their Alternative Budget ahead of the Council’s Budget due for debate on Thursday, 25 February, reversing all Council cuts to Redbridge arts and leisure facilities, including Fairlop Sailing Centre.
The Council’s Budget removes all remaining financial support for Fairlop Sailing Centre, Ashton Playing Fields, Cricklefields Athletics Ground, Redbridge Cycle Centre, the Youth Games and Hainault Farm, leaving the future of these treasured Redbridge assets in doubt. Redbridge Conservatives’ budget reverses all these cuts.
The proposals from Redbridge Conservatives to save arts and leisure in the borough, which includes reversing the Council's squeeze on Redbridge's Drama and Music Centres, will be funded by cutting all councillor pay and allowances by 10%, and restructuring staff teams.
Group Leader Cllr Linda Huggett said:
“We urge Council Leader Jas Athwal, who has u-turned on the garden waste scheme and the disastrous Barkingside Quiet Streets scheme, to u-turn once again and reverse his cuts to Fairlop Sailing Centre. We will not stand by and allow this vital community asset that has brought so much to the health and wellbeing of the young people in this borough to close for any length of time. We will fight tooth and nail to save Fairlop Sailing Centre.”
She added:
"We want arts and leisure facilities in Redbridge to become self-financing, but it has been an extraordinarily difficult year for these organisations so now is not the time for the Council to withdraw its financial support. Our children need sports and arts right now more than ever."
Redbridge Conservatives also propose a radical new scheme to support business and boost energy efficiency in the borough through a new Green Business scheme. Under the exciting new plans, £1 million will be invested in grants for business to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings. The Green Business scheme will support hundreds of jobs in Redbridge in green construction, cut carbon emissions and help businesses, who have had an enormously difficult time through 2020 and 2021, to save money on their energy bills.
The Conservatives will also urge Cllr Athwal to stand up for residents and support freezing pay for all staff in 2021/22, and use up to £5 million in savings to cut council tax for families, many of whom are struggling. They will call on Labour to join the Conservatives in writing to the National Joint Council in support of a pay freeze for council staff.
Group Leader Cllr Linda Huggett said:
“Thousands of Redbridge residents have experienced the sharpest drop in their income since the war. Redbridge staff have done a wonderful job in what has been a difficult year, but the Labour council in charge needs to learn to be responsible and consider the difficult financial circumstances of the whole community. We must put money back in residents' pockets. It cannot be right to ask taxpayers to pay more for staffing costs.”
