Public and Commercial Services Union

Candidates' Question Time (hustings) Thursday 28 April

7:30-9:30pm, Maghull Town Hall.

The Question Time event for party leaders in the Borough of Sefton, Merseyside took place at 7:30pm on Thursday, 28 April.

Thirty-five local residents attended the Sefton Party Leaders Question Time event at Maghull Town Hall on Thursday night, 28th April, for a Question Time event chaired by Frank Doran of PCS Bootle Taxes Branch and the North West Regional Committee.

The parties were represented by:

Cllr Peter Dowd, Leader of the Labour Group
Peter Harper, UKIP Candidate in Park ward
Alex Orme, Chairperson of Sefton East Conservatives
Laurence Rankin, Co-ordinator of Sefton Green Party and candidate in Blundellsands ward

Local issues raised by the audience included Green Belt protection, support for local carers and the Council’s response to the extreme winter weather. However, the longest and most intense debate was around the issue of cuts in public services.
 

Some of the participants’ responses to specific questions were as follows:
 

What is your party’s strategy for economic recovery? Glen Williams, Unison
Peter Harper (UKIP) – UKIP is committed to getting British people back into work and stopping large numbers of European workers undercutting pay.  450 million European workers are allowed to come here and many of them do.
Alex Orme (Conservative) – We need to boost private sector employment and we welcome the new Enterprise Zones set up in Sefton.  We would also clamp down on bankers bonuses – the blame for the crisis is shared, it’s not just Labour’s fault
Laurence Rankin (Green) – As a nation, we are not bringing enough money in because the tax burden has shifted from the richest to the poorest since Thatcher.  People don’t like to hear it but we need to rebalance taxation and collect more tax to reduce the deficit
Peter Dowd (Labour) – The deficit could be halved over four years with a flexible approach – if the economy grows you don’t have to cut as much and it’s crucial not to front load the cuts in the first year.  Also, if cuts do have to happen, they have to be fair and not target on areas like Sefton when areas like Dorset get off many times more lightly.
 

What cuts would you make? Fred Taylor, Unite
Alex Orme (Conservative) - I’d like to see an independent department, constructed on the same basis as the Office for Budget Responsibility, to look at how we cut out waste before we cut jobs.
Laurence Rankin (Green) – So much tax being evaded that cuts are not necessary.
Peter Dowd (Labour) – Back office workers, often women in reality, are essential to support front line workers and I don’t accept the false distinction.
Peter Harper (UKIP) – I don’t subscribe to the idea that the cuts are ideological.  Bureaucracy can be cut, for example in the police by reducing the burden of form filling and getting police officers back on the beat.

Cllr Tony Robertson, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group declined our invitation to attend the event.