Liberal Democrats demand public services investment

York’s Liberal Democrat Councillors have today sent a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves MP, to demand a fairer deal for York’s public services.

The letter outlines 10 key areas where the Liberal Democrats would like to see action taken by the new Government in Wednesday’s budget.

The areas covered in the letter includes scrapping the Winter Fuel Payment, Investing into local transport to dual the A1237 Outer Ring Road, build Haxby Station and fix York’s crumbling roads and recruit 8,000 more GPs so that residents can see one within seven days, or within 24 hours if it’s urgent.

Councillor Nigel Ayre, Leader of the Liberal Democrats commented:

“Our public services have suffered through the last 9 years of Conservative rule. Residents are crying out for change and proper investment into our national services, as local Councillors we hear every day that residents cannot get a GP or dentist appointment, can’t afford to buy or rent their own home, and are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.

“We are asking this new government to change course and address the long-term structural issues our country faces. We need to fix the social care crisis so that vulnerable residents can stay in their own homes for longer. We are asking the government to introduce a real living wage for care workers and invest in skills, professionalisation and accreditation of the workforce as well as providing a package to support unpaid carers.

“York is ranked last in terms of our core spending power of all the principal local authorities in the England. York receives £3,642 per person in funding from the Government compared to the national average of £4,310. Funding for SEND is a particular pressure on schools and should be addressed within the budget to ensure that all young people are able to reach their full potential.

“Create a funding floor of 90% of the average core spending power of local authorities would mean that the council would be better able to provide the services that are desperately needed in York with the extra £78 per capita this would unlock.”