Luton Council’s Labour Executive Committee has decided to cut food premises inspections as part of a plan to save £78,000 a year. The report, considered by the Executive Committee on Monday 12th December, says there is a risk that the plan would reduce the numbers of medium risk food businesses inspected and will result in a decline in standards.

All Councils have to have a Food Law Enforcement Service Plan and the one adopted by the Labour Council in July stated that the Council would not meet its statutory obligations, that 124 medium high risk food businesses due a hygiene intervention will not get one and included a 30% reduction in microbiological examinations & analysis.

The government Food Standards Agency insists microbiological examination & analysis of food including inspection for, and identification of, insects is a priority.

“The Council’s Food Law Enforcement Service Plan is already unsafe and we tried to get them to change it last July,” says Liberal Democrat leader Cllr David Franks. “To cut back even further must present a serious health risk to Luton residents.”

“Most food establishments in Luton operate to very high standards of hygiene and produce & sell perfectly safe high quality food to satisfied customers, but sadly not all achieve the required standards.”

“Just look around the town, you cannot avoid seeing the explosion in numbers of fast food shops and it’s the Council’s job to make sure they all live up to the high standards of the best. Yet with a service plan which says the Council will not meet its statutory obligations they are now planning even more cuts.”

“Horrible, food hygiene related health problems like e-coli are on the increase. People die of e-coli. Yet Luton’s Labour Council plans to cut back on food premises inspections at a time when risks are increasing and the number of fast food outlets is rapidly increasing.”

The plan will now be looked at by the Council’s Scrutiny Board which can make recommendations for changes if it feels these are necessary.

After 12 months of detailed work Central Bedfordshire, Bedford and Milton Keynes Councils have decided they do not want to work with Luton’s Labour Council on a shared legal service.

All local authorities employ lawyers to give legal advice on how they deliver services to their local residents & businesses and to make sure they stay within the law. The joint services plan, put together by the Chief Executives of the four Councils, was to save money by having just one legal department keeping an eye on all four Councils.

Luton Council’s Labour Executive Committee was due to give approval for formal consultation with the staff involved on the final details of the scheme this month (December 2011) but, at the last minute, the whole scheme was scrapped because the other three Councils decided they did not want to go ahead with it.

“I have not yet had a full briefing on why the other three councils did not want to work with Luton,” said Liberal Democrat leader, councillor David Franks. “Central Bedfordshire & Milton Keynes councils are Conservative run and Bedford has a Liberal Democrat directly elected mayor. Labour councillors in Luton have a very bad record on working with other parties. There have been a few occasions in the years I have been on the Council when no single party had a majority. Every time Labour refused to get involved in joint administrations, to put aside party interests and do what is best for the town. They always seem to put Party interests first.”

Liberal Democrat councillors claim Luton’s Labour Council is cutting too many front line jobs and not enough at the top end. “Two years running they’ve cut the numbers of street cleaners, cut the Youth Service, are privatising care for the elderly,” says Liberal Democrat leader, David Franks.

“Yet when it comes to Corporate Director level, people paid around the £100,000 mark, they decided to cut the numbers from six to five. We suggested they could easily go one further and cut down to four Corporate Directors and they refused.”

“It sends exactly the wrong signal to lower paid staff who have lost their jobs or are in danger of doing so.”

“There’s no logic in what they are doing. There is no sense in keeping separate Corporate Directors for adult social care and children’s social care. There is already a ‘gap’ when vulnerable children become vulnerable adults, the department responsible for their care switches overnight. In fact of course people’s needs do not change overnight, needs evolve and there would be a much better chance of continuity if the two departments were merged.”

“The Liberal Democrat amended structure was rejected by the Labour majority on the Council so they will continue to employ five Corporate Directors and continue to sack the people who local residents can actually see doing the job.”

Hikes in Parking Charges proposed by Luton Borough Council will be delayed until the New Year as a result of a challenge by Liberal Democrat Councillors.

Labour Executive members had originally proposed that a number of parking charges would rise by 50 percent or more from 1st November. Lib Dem Councillors said that this would do nothing to help residents struggling with weekly finances or Town Centre shops, who had not been consulted, in the run-up to Christmas, and formally challenged the decision by ‘calling it in’ for consideration by the Overview and Scrutiny Board.

Members of all three political parties on the Scrutiny Board asked for the highest proposed rises to be reconsidered. However, this request was refused by the Labour Executive, who instead reconfirmed all the rises. The challenge has however forced the Council to delay the rises until 9th January, giving residents and struggling shops 2 months grace.

Liberal Democrat Group Deputy Leader, Cllr Martin Pantling comments:

“ Residents who use shops and facilities both in the Town Centre and locally now look set to face New Year misery. The Labour leadership, if they can be called that, have defiantly confirmed their decision to increase parking charges by 10 times the inflation rate despite a cross-party Committee of councillors who reviewed the Fees asking them not to.”

“ There was no consultation with residents or businesses. Labour just want to fleece people for £60,000 a year more as a drop in the ocean towards their unfunded Busway costs.”

“ I’m pleased that through our challenge, the Liberal Democrats have forced a delay until the New Year. The last thing anyone needs is a Council cynically hiking parking fees just before Christmas, which the original decision did. The fact remains though that with much of the town being dug up, obstructed or diverted right now, and a lot of shopping competition nearby, Labour seem oblivious to the damage they could be doing to Luton as a whole.”

Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, has announced a £1 billion pound Youth Contract to tackle youth unemployment, which aims to ensure that all jobless young people are earning or learning again before long-term damage is done.

In Luton 1705 18-24 year olds are currently in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance and would stand to benefit from the Youth Contract.

Starting next April, the Youth Contract will provide at least 410,000 new work places for 18 to 24 year olds. This includes 160,000 wage subsidies and 250,000 new work experience placements.

“In these difficult times Liberal Democrats are doing the right thing and making sure we help those who need it most,” said Luton Liberal Democrat leader councillor David Franks.

“The consequences of denying employment opportunities to18 to 24 year olds will be felt for decades afterwards, not just by the young people themselves but by the whole of our society. We need to ensure that the young people of today do not have a false start.

“The Youth Contract will help those who need it most through advice, support and training, by giving young people in Luton the experience necessary to make a successful start in their working lives.”

Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg said:

“Youth unemployment is an economic waste and a slow-burn social disaster.

“We can’t lose the skills and talent of our young people – right when we need them most. We can’t afford to leave our young men and women on the scrap heap. We need the next generation to help us build a new economy.

“The aim of the Youth Contract is to get every unemployed young person working or learning again before long-term damage is done.

“This is a £1bn package and what’s different about it is that it gets young people into proper, lasting jobs in the private sector.”