Now even Tory council chiefs have a go at Pickles

Communities secretary Eric Pickles has come under attack (£) from a number of Tory council leaders over the government’s savage cuts to local councils – which even they describe as “potentially devastating”, “unfair” and affecting the north more than the south. Their anger echoes that of Liberal Democrat town hall leaders, who wrote a letter (£) to The Times earlier this month criticising the impact of the cuts and Pickles’s management style.

The letters to Pickles were obtained via a Freedom of Information request from Sky News, who report this morning:

The letter from John Weighell, Tory leader of North Yorkshire County Council, warns:

“The timescale that we are now expected to reduce budgets further is bound to result in a higher impact on front line services than any of us would want.”

While North Yorks chief executive Richard Flinton adds:

“Overall the settlement will be devastating for council services… If this settlement stands unaltered then the consequences in North Yorkshire for service delivering will be devastating.”

Last week, Left Foot Forward reported that the communities secretary had made only one ministerial visit in six months and had not made a single visit to the North East, South East, East of England or a London borough since his appointment, with Minister for Decentralisation Greg Clark making no visits whatsoever since last July, and only four visits since since being appointed.

And last December, Will Straw revealed that the government’s cuts to local authorites would unfairly target Britain’s poorest areas, pointing out how:

“Poor areas like Hackney (-8.9%), Newham (-8.9%), Tower Hamlets (-8.9%), and Islington (-8.8%) find themselves with the deepest cuts while richer areas like Richmond (-0.61%), Havering (-1.71%), and Harrow (-1.9%) are best off…

“Manchester, Liverpool, South Tyneside, and Knowsley get take the maximum hit of -8.9% while less deprived areas like Solihull (-3.49%), Dudley, (-3.39%), and Trafford (-3.79%) do far better.”

At the time of the CSR, the chancellor insisted:

“…[those with] the broadest shoulders should bear the greatest burden.”

Now even Tory council leaders believe this not to be the case.

http://twitter.com/shookyshiner/status/40381415791136769 shookyshiner

RT @leftfootfwd: Now even Tory council chiefs have a go at Pickles: http://bit.ly/hhmWDz reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/politicspatsy/status/40381444538892288 Politics Patsy

RT @leftfootfwd: Now even Tory council chiefs have a go at Pickles: http://bit.ly/hhmWDz reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/manishtasunnia/status/40381585156997120 manishta sunnia

RT @leftfootfwd Now even Tory council chiefs have a go at Pickles: http://bit.ly/hhmWDz reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/carlraincoat/status/40381761250656256 Carl Packman

RT @leftfootfwd: Now even Tory council chiefs have a go at Pickles: http://bit.ly/hhmWDz reports @ShamikDas (cc @HarpyMarx )
http://twitter.com/joluni68/status/40383328662208512 Heidi Joluni

RT @leftfootfwd: Now even Tory council chiefs have a go at Pickles: http://bit.ly/hhmWDz reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/marto1971/status/40384352839942144 Martyn Cheney

RT @leftfootfwd: Now even Tory council chiefs have a go at Pickles: http://bit.ly/hhmWDz reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/unitonehifi/status/40386837222653952 chris star

Now even Tory council chiefs have a go at Pickles…
http://j.mp/gqkghq
#ukuncut
http://twitter.com/politicsinbrum/status/40388385927467008 politicsinbrum

RT @leftfootfwd: Now even Tory council chiefs have a go at Pickles: http://bit.ly/hhmWDz reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/sean_gittins/status/40389005551869952 sean gittins

RT @leftfootfwd: Now even Tory council chiefs have a go at Pickles: http://bit.ly/hhmWDz reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/slintottuk/status/40389026577911808 Stephen Lintott

RT @leftfootfwd: Now even Tory council chiefs have a go at Pickles: http://bit.ly/hhmWDz reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/janedaisypain/status/40389536802410496 Jane Phillips

RT @leftfootfwd: Now even Tory council chiefs have a go at Pickles: http://bit.ly/hhmWDz reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/oldmankelv/status/40389627730857984 Kelvin John Edge

RT @leftfootfwd: Now even Tory council chiefs have a go at Pickles: http://bit.ly/hhmWDz reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/drkmj/status/40391410708529152 DrKMJ

RT @leftfootfwd: Now even Tory council chiefs have a go at Pickles: http://bit.ly/hhmWDz reports @ShamikDas
http://bit.ly/eLwJ9p Tacitus

Oh God I love it when the Tories fight amongst themselves. Now if only they could turn their sites on Cameron.
Anon E Mouse

Which just goes to show we are all in this together…
http://twitter.com/press_not_sorry/status/40414016421638145 Press Not Sorry

RT @leftfootfwd: Now even Tory council chiefs have a go at Pickles: http://bit.ly/hhmWDz reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/johndi1worth/status/40418934993723392 John Dilworth

Greg Clarke was born locally. Should show some empathy surely RT@leftfootfwd:Tory council chiefs have a go at Pickles: http://bit.ly/hhmWDz
http://twitter.com/cllraforrest/status/40423986546479104 Andrew Forrest

RT @leftfootfwd: Now even Tory council chiefs have a go at Pickles: http://bit.ly/hhmWDz reports @ShamikDas
scandalousbill

It also points to the fact that Cameron’s statements regarding Liverpool council’s announced cuts as merely politically motivated obstructionism are indeed dubious if not deliberate falsehoods.
Anon E Mouse

scandalousbill – The boss of Liverpool council is on £195k a year. A higher salary than the Prime Minister.

Since Prime Minister’s can take this country to war, as the last (elected) one did on numerous occasions and never in self defence, I think this is an outrage.

You cannot compare sending our troops into a battlezone with controlling a few drunken scallys in Toxteth on a Friday night….
Richard

Add in all the freebies the PM gets and you’ll find his wage represents a sum way over 195k. It’s a puerile argument and comparison and the public are not duped.
http://twitter.com/psbook/status/40460282220396544 Political Scrapbook

Now even Tory council chiefs have a go at Eric Pickles http://bit.ly/eZHUJN (from @leftfootfwd)
http://twitter.com/sophyridge/status/40460529764012032 sophyridge

RT @psbook: Now even Tory council chiefs have a go at Eric Pickles http://bit.ly/eZHUJN (from @leftfootfwd)
http://twitter.com/mckrich/status/40461058036473856 Richard McKenzie

RT @leftfootfwd: Now even Tory council chiefs have a go at Pickles: http://bit.ly/hhmWDz reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/natpenrose/status/40461361012154368 natpenrose

RT @psbook: Now even Tory council chiefs have a go at Eric Pickles http://bit.ly/eZHUJN (from @leftfootfwd)
http://twitter.com/jteepee/status/40490735715356673 Jo Dooher

RT @leftfootfwd: Now even Tory council chiefs have a go at Pickles: http://bit.ly/hhmWDz reports @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/leedshippriest/status/40507522183856128 Paul Cox

RT @psbook: Now even Tory council chiefs have a go at Eric Pickles http://bit.ly/eZHUJN (from @leftfootfwd)
Dave

The North Lincs Tories, in opposition, have happily promoted a budget in which they wanted to cut council taxes while sacking even more than the 550 council workers who are to lose their jobs.
Mr. Sensible

I think cross-party concern about the government’s local government settlement has been bubbling under for a wile, but has now well and truely surfaced.

Eric Pickles is now in a fare few of them.