Brief Labour councillors to reiect cuts and rate rises

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Published by Folrose Ltd for the Workers Socialist League, BM Box 5277, London WC1V 6XX, Printed by Morning Litho Printers Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. Signed articles do not necessarily ropresent the views of the Workers Sociaist League AGAINST THE THE CUTS AM BETH AGAINST THE QUIS PHOTO: Mark Rusher, IFL PHO Large numbers of Labour councils are being pushed into near bankruptcy, running so short of money that they will be forced to demand more resources from the Tory government.

This was one of the central points taken up by Lambeth council leader Ted Knight at last Saturday's London Labour Briefing conference.

The conference was attended by 204 delegates and 20 observers-mainly from Labour Parties, with some from trade unions.

Knight insisted that the question was not what Lambeth council did, but how to pressurise other Labour councils into action against the Tory cuts and in particular Heseltine's latest ultimatum demanding a further 2% cut in spending.

He proposed a national conference of CLPs and Labour groups, together with public sector unions, to present Heseltine with the threat of a total shutdown of local government if more resources were not made available.

In reply to those delegatesmany of them from Lambethwho argued for a policy of no rate and rent increases and instead to mobilise for a confrontation with the Tory government, Knight replied that Heseltine's Bill would give him direct control over the rates, rendering the policy irrelevant.

The Labour Party in Lambeth had been campaigning, but had failed to achieve a mass response, he added.

Public sector workers would not accept a strategy that might sacrifice their jobs and wages without a much wider base of In the meantime, of course, Lambeth council is lacking up both counci rents and the rates -deflecting the Tory cuts from the social services onto the living standards class.

The Lambeth Left motion on no rate/rent rises was defeated by . a substantial majority. But there was little progress on the question of hew to resist Heseltine.

Forced to choose

With local government cash running out it seems likely that many Labour councils will be forced to choose in the next few months between a draconian package of last-minute spending cuts or a confrontation with the Tory government.

The crucial task facing socialists inside and outside the Party is to find ways to ensure that when such confrontations take place the working class is mobilised and given a principled lead in the struggle to defeat both the Thatcher axemen and their right wing Labour lackeys.