includes Toxteth, Liverpool's 1981.
pool's stands first in new rate on 29 March. BOB QUICK is a Liverpool city councillor for Dingle ward, which faces.
scene of black rebellions in He is chairperson of the council's Libraries committee and Social Services Development subcommittee. Like the rest of Livercouncillors, he against the Tories, when Liverpool makes its He told Socialist Action how Labour won the council last May, and what For million ITED future the Labour administration Big dissatisfaction with the. Liberalforv rule at City Hall meant more Labour voters turned out last year to elect the new Liverpool city council, which is now under Labour control for the first time in 10 years. In my ward the turn-out was 45 per cent compared to the usual 30. We won Liverpool by campaigning hard amongst groups and the labour movement.
We fought the election on the need for council • the Liberals hadn't built a single one in five years; no cuts in jobs services; and opposition to the plans of the Liberals -refuse collection was threatened if the Liberals got back. The reponse to the new council, especially from the local government unions — who turned out their members to canvass for us during has been very thusiastic. But now Liverpool is facing the crunch.
We make the 1984-5 budget on 29 March. And we have two - • ипассерtable — legal options: a rate increase of between 120-200 per cent, or slashing swo Jobs. The budget will be in line with Labour's manifesto promises. It will contain a minimal rate increase probably in line with inflation commitment to maintaining jobs and services. This means a shortfall of £30 - an illegal' budget, leaving the Labour Group open to surcharge disqualification, bankruptcy and im prisonment.
We don't know how government will respond yet. could send in the commissioners right payer complains which would compel the auditor to inspect the books and declare the council bankrupt. I don't think the first is an attractive prospect for the Tories. . It could cause chaos in Liverpool while the Queen is opening the International Garden Festival here, at the beginning of May.
With a Labour majority of three, we're in a sticky situtation, but I'm sure the Liberals don't relish proposing a legal budget which they could be forced to implement. They'll have to put one forward to surcharge. Rumours that if this happens they'll do a deal with hatcher penalties because of the crisis in Liverpool. local pool mustn't be left to take a stand alone. Everyone three special case. But it doesn't help us when house other Labour councils, and Newcastle, are making cuts in their services.
grew protect themselves wing, circulating It was wheneve the The important thing is that Liverrecognises we re a In the early , like Wakefield Liverpool needs the full support of Casual labour and religious sec tarianism retarded the development of the Liverpool Labour. Party, which as a Catholic-dominated. minority current inside the Liverpool working class. After the Second World War, this was replaced by cold-war, boss polities of Bessie Bradock, who ruthlessly witch-hunted socialists from the party.
electoral shell when Labour first won the city council 1955. This complacency did little to change the conditions in which the peo. ple of Liverpool lived. And Labour lost the council several times in the 1960s.
'70s, the Liberals gained control, supported by the Tories.