Brighton mobile library closure hits vulnerable

Balancing the Books – time to decide where cuts need to fall Balancing the Books – time to decide where cuts need to fall

The elderly and vulnerable will be worst affected if a mobile library is axed, according to critics.

The cabinet wants to save £62,000 a year by stopping the service completely.

It is used by 865 people.

According to cabinet member for culture, recreation and tourism, Geoffrey Bowden it would cost in excess of £120,000 to replace the vehicle.

But after a suggestion from the Labour group he has agreed to consult with voluntary groups to discuss whether they can take on responsibility for the service.

Labour leader Gill Mitchell said: “I really hope this service can be retained because it is absolutely vital for the people who use it.”

Conservative Vanessa Brown said: “I know the Greens say many users of the mobile library also use a static library but it is quite clear that the people who will be worst affected are the elderly and vulnerable.”

According to the budget proposals, 67% of those who use the mobile service also use another library.

Coun Bowden said anyone who is unable to get to another library can access the Home Library Service.

He said: “It is a wonderful service and I would dearly love to keep it but this vehicle is coming to the end of its useful life and at a cost of more than £120,000 to replace it we are left with little choice.”

Under the Greens’ plans the mobile library will initially be parked outside Woodingdean library while that facility is refurbished.

Balance the Books

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The Argus has chosen ten key areas of the budget propsals to findout which ones out readers think should be treated as a priority in the budget.

Make your choice by filling in our online form at www.theargus.co.uk/news/balancebudget.

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Comments(16)

Angryoldman says...
8:17am Sat 14 Jan 12

I notice camaron is going to re instate child tax credits for those earning over £44000.00.
Thats right Dave. Take it off the sick and poor.
This government is vile to the core.

Metro Reader says...
8:33am Sat 14 Jan 12

£44k is not a lot of money to bring up a family on.

Also its the loony greens of are running brighton and hove, in to the ground. million pound cycle lanes or a mobile library tuff choice

Busterblister says...
8:42am Sat 14 Jan 12

Angryoldman wrote:
I notice camaron is going to re instate child tax credits for those earning over £44000.00.
Thats right Dave. Take it off the sick and poor.
This government is vile to the core.
If we're all in it together I have no idea why a universal benefit is a problem. After all, there are plenty of people who contribute nothing at all financially to society who aren't in it at all - ever..

Ed Balls has finally admitted that labour, if voted back in, won't be reversing the cuts.

Years of socialism have created the deficit. The Tories are trying to turn it round.

It would be interesting to know if the mobile library was going to be cut here in B&H in the Tory budget that offered a decrease in council tax to hard pressed taxpayers. This was the one vetoed by Labour and the Greens.

In any case, cuts are inevitable, and everyone with a vested interest believes someone else should bear the pain - anyone as long as it's not them.

More news this morning showing that polls believe the electorate think cuts are necessary.....

Angryoldman says...
8:50am Sat 14 Jan 12

Metro Reader wrote:
£44k is not a lot of money to bring up a family on.

Also its the loony greens of are running brighton and hove, in to the ground. million pound cycle lanes or a mobile library tuff choice
It's a hell of a lot more than ten grand minimum wage.
Benefits were always meant to help those in need not prop up the wealthy! They should not be universal.

Kate234 says...
8:54am Sat 14 Jan 12

At least the elderly and vulnerable will be spared an even bigger council tax increase to save this service.

I expect with their pensions being hit they are not the first to be leaping in the air with joy as council tax rises bites into their finite income.

Angryoldman says...
9:04am Sat 14 Jan 12

Busterblister wrote:
Angryoldman wrote:
I notice camaron is going to re instate child tax credits for those earning over £44000.00.
Thats right Dave. Take it off the sick and poor.
This government is vile to the core.
If we're all in it together I have no idea why a universal benefit is a problem. After all, there are plenty of people who contribute nothing at all financially to society who aren't in it at all - ever..

Ed Balls has finally admitted that labour, if voted back in, won't be reversing the cuts.

Years of socialism have created the deficit. The Tories are trying to turn it round.

It would be interesting to know if the mobile library was going to be cut here in B&H in the Tory budget that offered a decrease in council tax to hard pressed taxpayers. This was the one vetoed by Labour and the Greens.

In any case, cuts are inevitable, and everyone with a vested interest believes someone else should bear the pain - anyone as long as it's not them.

More news this morning showing that polls believe the electorate think cuts are necessary.....
"More news this morning showing that polls believe the electorate think cuts are necessary....."
What the whole electorate?
I don't think so! Polls mean bogger all. Only two days ago this rag reported that Brightons citizens were the happiest in the UK. The very next day the headlines were about how everyone in Brighton is on anti depressants. Polls and statistics will tell you whatever you want them to.
If tax was paid by the avoiders we wouldn’t be in the mess we are in.
One company alone avoided six billion.
And Labour won't be voted back in as they are turncoat lying back stabbers who forgot all about the working man that they are meant to represent years ago. There is NO opposition as they all have their snouts in the trough.
I hope this country collapses and implodes with the cost of its open borders and benefits for all as there needs to be a redistribution of wealth from the Tory and Labour thieves.

Hove Actually says...
9:11am Sat 14 Jan 12

£120,000 to serve 62,000 people
67% of whom also use the service elsewhere..........

NO BRAINER HERE get rid

Busterblister says...
9:11am Sat 14 Jan 12

Angryoldman wrote:
Busterblister wrote:
Angryoldman wrote:
I notice camaron is going to re instate child tax credits for those earning over £44000.00.
Thats right Dave. Take it off the sick and poor.
This government is vile to the core.
If we're all in it together I have no idea why a universal benefit is a problem. After all, there are plenty of people who contribute nothing at all financially to society who aren't in it at all - ever..

Ed Balls has finally admitted that labour, if voted back in, won't be reversing the cuts.

Years of socialism have created the deficit. The Tories are trying to turn it round.

It would be interesting to know if the mobile library was going to be cut here in B&H in the Tory budget that offered a decrease in council tax to hard pressed taxpayers. This was the one vetoed by Labour and the Greens.

In any case, cuts are inevitable, and everyone with a vested interest believes someone else should bear the pain - anyone as long as it's not them.

More news this morning showing that polls believe the electorate think cuts are necessary.....
"More news this morning showing that polls believe the electorate think cuts are necessary....."
What the whole electorate?
I don't think so! Polls mean bogger all. Only two days ago this rag reported that Brightons citizens were the happiest in the UK. The very next day the headlines were about how everyone in Brighton is on anti depressants. Polls and statistics will tell you whatever you want them to.
If tax was paid by the avoiders we wouldn’t be in the mess we are in.
One company alone avoided six billion.
And Labour won't be voted back in as they are turncoat lying back stabbers who forgot all about the working man that they are meant to represent years ago. There is NO opposition as they all have their snouts in the trough.
I hope this country collapses and implodes with the cost of its open borders and benefits for all as there needs to be a redistribution of wealth from the Tory and Labour thieves.
When you talk about tax avoidance you need to think carefully about what you mean.

Tax avoidance is legal. This is because income is declared, but tax is avoided using schemes that are perfectly legitimate under law. Loopholes could be closed by Govts. of any colour - but they aren't. Personally, I don't like this, but avoiders use laws intended for something else to their advantage - e.g avoiding stamp duty.

On the other hand, I'm sure you would welcome individuals such as tradesmen working for cash declaring every last penny of their earnings? Failure to do so, and to not pay tax = theft from society. Given the strength of your views, have you reported any tax dodgers to the tax man?

Cycling commuter says...
9:37am Sat 14 Jan 12

The issue isn't whether 44k is a lot of money, it's that it's based on one earner. So if two people work and earn £87,998 equally between them still get the allowance. Where as households with one person working earning 44k doesn't. Hardly seems fair does it?

It seems to target parents where one person stays at home to look after the children. This is the kind of decision that is bringing the downfall of the family unit and causing so many problems in society.

Our household has one earner as my partner looks after our children. So far the only benefit we get is family allowance, I look at this as a tax rebate rather than a benefit. After all I am not only supporting my own family but quite a few others who cannot be bothered to work..

Morpheus says...
9:45am Sat 14 Jan 12

It is cheaper to give out eReaders than keep this service going.

Bladesboy Returns says...
10:15am Sat 14 Jan 12

Cheaper to give the 37% of mobile only users an IPad

As for the benefits for those on £44K, at least they get some of their tax payments back. Need to get more tax from everyone and then tax % can be reduced for higher earners and then benefits stopped and all the costs of administering the beaurocracy removed, in turn reducing tax required to fund jobs that add no value.

Bingo!

rashidk says...
11:58am Sat 14 Jan 12

Almost comically true to form, these comments from behind the laptops. What is forgotten is that local councils get the major part of their funds from central government and in the current settlement it has been established beyond doubt that this coalition of millionaires and wannabe millionaires has favoured their own areas at the expense of areas like Brighton and Hove and, even more so, northern areas which continue to loathe the Tories politically. Get your head round that simple fact, Mr.Buster-Tory-Blist
er, and then think about GoldmanSachs and Vodaphone and billions of tax given away in sweetheart deals before you prate any further about legitimate tax avoidance.

Lady Smith says...
12:12pm Sat 14 Jan 12

rashidk wrote:
Almost comically true to form, these comments from behind the laptops. What is forgotten is that local councils get the major part of their funds from central government and in the current settlement it has been established beyond doubt that this coalition of millionaires and wannabe millionaires has favoured their own areas at the expense of areas like Brighton and Hove and, even more so, northern areas which continue to loathe the Tories politically. Get your head round that simple fact, Mr.Buster-Tory-Blist

er, and then think about GoldmanSachs and Vodaphone and billions of tax given away in sweetheart deals before you prate any further about legitimate tax avoidance.
Spot on! And...does anyone in their right minds really believe any B&H council - of any political hue - would not have made similar or even wider cuts? The problem here is central funding and, as you rightly point out, B&H has suffered in this respect more than other areas.

Busterblister says...
12:14pm Sat 14 Jan 12

rashidk wrote:
Almost comically true to form, these comments from behind the laptops. What is forgotten is that local councils get the major part of their funds from central government and in the current settlement it has been established beyond doubt that this coalition of millionaires and wannabe millionaires has favoured their own areas at the expense of areas like Brighton and Hove and, even more so, northern areas which continue to loathe the Tories politically. Get your head round that simple fact, Mr.Buster-Tory-Blist

er, and then think about GoldmanSachs and Vodaphone and billions of tax given away in sweetheart deals before you prate any further about legitimate tax avoidance.
Talking of true to form, here comes a socialist..... with conspiracy theories.....

Busterblister says...
12:17pm Sat 14 Jan 12

Lady Smith wrote:
rashidk wrote:
Almost comically true to form, these comments from behind the laptops. What is forgotten is that local councils get the major part of their funds from central government and in the current settlement it has been established beyond doubt that this coalition of millionaires and wannabe millionaires has favoured their own areas at the expense of areas like Brighton and Hove and, even more so, northern areas which continue to loathe the Tories politically. Get your head round that simple fact, Mr.Buster-Tory-Blist


er, and then think about GoldmanSachs and Vodaphone and billions of tax given away in sweetheart deals before you prate any further about legitimate tax avoidance.
Spot on! And...does anyone in their right minds really believe any B&H council - of any political hue - would not have made similar or even wider cuts? The problem here is central funding and, as you rightly point out, B&H has suffered in this respect more than other areas.
So give us your plan for tackling the deficit. It is so bad, and options so few, that even Labour are now conceding that they would be cutting - eaxactly like the co-alition.

The problem with socialism is that it falls down when it no longer has someone else's money to spend.

Maxwell's Ghost says...
1:55pm Sat 14 Jan 12

If you can't feed 'em, don't breen 'em.
Perhaps if we stopped handing child benefits to famillies, we wouldn't have so many people reproducing.
It's not as if our young generation are creating jobs, working or even contributing anything positive to the UK.
One child per family.

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