Star date: 8th August 2014

WELFARE BUDGETS WILL BE CUT TO PAY FOR ONE NORTH PLAN

As the media, local politicians and business leaders cheered George Osborne's backing of the £15billion One North plan this week, most failed to mention the Chancellor's statement that it will come at a price – cuts to welfare budgets.

This has already been happening in Salford, which aims to benefit from the One North scheme – with funding for bridges, fountains and other prestige projects found at the expense of cuts to transport for disabled people and more.

Full story here…

There was hardly a murmur of discontent this week as Tory Chancellor George Osborne arrived in Manchester to parade his big backing for the One North plan – a £15billion scheme to link up the whole north, from Liverpool to Newcastle via improvements to rail, road and sea links.

Salford isn't mentioned anywhere in the plan but comes under `Manchester City Region' with the M62 and the Atlantic Gateway, including Port Salford, in there too.

The backing for One North looks an obvious ploy by Osborne to try and get northern votes at the General Election, and was indeed slated by Mick Cash of the rail trade union RMT as "pure showboating". Half of it will probably never come off (remember the Northern Way?) but it is being espoused by the Labour Party council leaders including Manchester Council's Richard Leese.

The Daily Mirror - albeit under the positive headline The North's £15billion Road To Recovery - was the only newspaper to report what George Osborne actually said… "The real choice is spending on big economic infrastructure and spending on welfare payments which are not generating a real return and trapping people in poverty…"

In other words, cuts to public spending and welfare are not about reducing the deficit but to be diverted into spending on improving roads, rail and ports, most of which are in private hands, such as Peel Holdings. Like Osborne said, it's a "choice".

Here in Salford, it appears that a similar choice has already been made, as a culture shift from supporting vulnerable people to supporting office blocks, bridges, fountains and prestige projects has taken place.

Campaigners against cuts were absolutely horrified when they read the reports of Mayor Ian Stewart's trip to London to meet the Government about the state of Salford…

"He put all these businesses in line to be talked about and then us with a little piece at the bottom" remarked Noreen Bailey, fighting to retain transport for her severely disabled sons "How can he do that when it should be the people who should be talked about first. He doesn't want to know us. He wants to push us as far away as possible. This is like Animal Farm." (see here)

Meanwhile, back in February, the Salford Star discovered that the interest on huge loans taken out by Salford Council to finance things like the tarting up of Chapel Street, bridges, fountains, the AJ Bell Stadium and more was actually being taken out of the city's revenue budget – the same one which pays for services for vulnerable people. And the same budget that has been cut by over £24million this year (see previous Salford Star article for full explanation – click here).

When George Osborne made his statement about a `choice' between big infrastructure projects and welfare, Labour's Richard Leese didn't, as far as the Salford Star knows, hammer him for it.

...Probably because our so-called `Labour' leaders are making the same choices every day – and coming down on the side that might not be in the interests of their own community.

* See also related Salford Star article: Salford Labour Council's new Tory style Dickensian DIY Welfare - click here

** Sign Noreen's petition to Help Save Our Tansport and Escorts for Special Need Adults - click here