Divide and evaporate the Lib Dems

In contrast to the smiley happy people around the cabinet table, the Lib Dem leaders in local government have finally woken up and smelt the coffee.

Faced with slash and burn budget settlements, that will leave some of the most deprived areas short of vital services and the prospect of their own annihilation at the local elections in May, they have finally stuck their heads above the parapet.

In a damning letter to The Times they accuse the communities secretary Eric Pickles of gun boat diplomacy. As UNISON has said the hands of local government have been tied into drastic budget cuts now because Pickles and Cameron have failed to allow any time to develop alternatives to job losses. With the best will in the world what council, employing thousands of people, could simply reconfigure its services between the December budget announcements and the end of March?

We should not miss the opportunity to highlight the dissent in the Lib Dem ranks and encourage those Lib Dem councils who are prepared to join the fight back. The speed and depth of the cuts is a political choice not a financial one and the alternative choice is a clear one. The Lib Dem's in local government have always been a stark contrast to the economic liberals in national politics. It is time to exploit that divide to the benefit of our members.

Anna Rose