Today the Labour controlled Southampton City Council released details of its Mini Budget. This is an interim budget and while not being as significant as the Annual Budget it does allow us to gauge Labour’s direction of travel.

This budget is a betrayal of Labour voters and council workers. When Labour campaigned for office they promised not a single job would go. This mini budget brings the total job losses from Southampton since Labour came to power two years ago to 500. And there is worse to come.

Southampton Labour has ruled out many of the solutions to the city’s financial challenges because of outdated political dogma. By making promises they simply couldn’t keep they have given workers and voters false hope. If they had planned early, shared services and premises, merged management teams with other public sector bodies and outsourced to protect jobs and services we wouldn’t be in this mess.  

Is it any wonder few people trust politicians?