Cornwall Council leader Alec Robertson this morning confirmed yesterday’s Cabinet decision to agree to cut the Council budget and services by 20 per cent. With a warning that 1,000 jobs may go, he refused to be drawn on possible specific cuts.

It was inevitable that last year’s Council reorganisation would lead to streamlining of backroom administration in areas like IT and finance. There have already been some job losses as a direct result. Now the Council says it is looking to contract out some of this administration.

Labour’s prospective MP Charlotte MacKenzie said: “The Council’s Tory dominated leadership must now tell people in Cornwall which one in five of our schools, firestations, one stop shops, libraries, community and voluntary sector funding, and other services they intend to cut.

“The Council’s three year funding settlement from central government – which supports most local services – increased by more than 4 per cent this year, well above inflation.”

Independent reports previously concluded that the former Liberal Democrat administration lacked effective political leadership in it’s handling of issues such as proposed cuts to local fire services.

Charlotte MacKenzie added: “Now the new Tory dominated leadership seems to be following the Liberal Democrats’ poor example. Everyone who works for the Council and relies on their services now fears what these plans will mean for them.

“By refusing to take up the invitation to work as part of the new Council’s leadership, the Liberal Democrat group has placed itself in the position where they can only do what they sometimes seem to enjoy most: complain loudly, be ignored, and then blame somebody else.”