A Sheffield campaign group has challenged city councillors to fight for the community after real-term cuts left the council with 50% less funding than it had in 2010.
Isabelle France presented the petition at the Sheffield City Council budget meeting, claiming years of financial ignorance have left the council unable to provide for the community.
The petition calls on the council to reduce service cuts and support the city.
The petition followed on from a conference organised last month by Sheffield ‘Your Party’, the new left-wing group headed up by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana.
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France, who is a prominent member of Sheffield’s socialist party, said: “Cuts to our budget have meant services are completely disappearing from our city with massive job losses and a growing housing crisis.”
The campaign group proposed that the above-inflation council tax rise and a small increase in government funding would not reverse the debilitating damage done to public services.
Between 2018 and 2023 Sheffield City Council spent £14.3 million on consultants and £84.8 million on agency workers whilst during the same period, 454 jobs were lost.
In 2012, 61% of the council budget was spent on private contractors.
France directly criticised outsourcing companies like Veolia and Amey, suggesting they only employ staff who work long hours on minimum pay in poor conditions.
France said: “The council should take all outsourced services back in-house. It is much cheaper to do that than to pay private companies to do it.
“These private companies cut jobs with low pay and poor conditions, making the lives of workers in Sheffield so much worse.”
The campaign directed its petition against the council, suggesting that 18 months into a Labour government, there remains no alternative to austerity under Labour’s fiscal rules.
France not only criticised the Labour party but also took aim at the Green party, suggesting they consistently condemn Labour for not being anti-austerity, yet they may be unprepared to vote against the cuts themselves.
The speech drew on a range of financial issues before France concluded: “This city deserves better. Please fight for it.”
